Legislation commenced from today continues the roll-out of the mediation service which was first launched in December 2023 alongside the rebranding of the former Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB).

Dara Calleary, minister of state for trade promotion, digital and company regulation, said: “Already we have seen a very strong initial response to the introduction of mediation for workplace accident claims with almost 40 per cent of claimants indicating that they would be willing to enter into the mediation process.

“Mediation is an effective way of resolving disputes quickly and in a cost-effective manner. It helps both claimants and respondents to reach a mutual agreement and provides an alternative to litigation which can be costly, time consuming, and stressful for all involved.”

He added: “The recent Supreme Court judgment in the Delaney case confirmed that the Personal Injuries Guidelines are legally binding and have been correctly applied by the Injuries Resolution Board.

“This reinforces the authority of the Guidelines and moves us towards a more consistent, certain, and predictable system for personal injury compensation in this county.

“The future of the Injuries Resolution Board, celebrating 20 years this year, is positive. The current consent rate to assessing cases for the Board has reached an impressive 70 per cent while the acceptance rate to their assessment awards has recovered from 36 per cent in mid-2021 to a healthy 50 per cent this year.

“I will commence legislation to provide for mediation for motor liability personal injury cases later this year.”

Since the founding of the Board in April 2004, it has received around 500,000 cases resulting in almost 180,000 awards worth €2 billion. The Board estimates that around €1 billion has been saved in litigation costs in that time.