The first proposed update to the personal injuries guidelines since their introduction in 2021 will see the award of general damages for the most devastating and catastrophic of injuries rise from €550,00 to €642,000.

The increase is based on the cumulative change in the harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) since the first edition of the guidelines was adopted.

The draft second edition of the guidelines was published by the Judicial Council in December 2024 and approved at a meeting at the end of January.

“Further to the meeting of the Judicial Council on the 31st of January 2025, the draft amendments to the Personal Injuries Guidelines, as published by the Board on the 11th of December 2024, were submitted to the Minister for Justice pursuant to Section 7 (2B) of the Judicial Council Act 2019,” the Judicial Council said this week.

Updates to the guidelines require the approval of the Oireachtas before coming into effect, as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Delaney v. The Personal Injuries Board & Ors [2024] IESC 10.

A process for the adoption of revised guidelines is set out in the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024.