Personal Injuries Assessment Board to be strengthened from tomorrow

The Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Amendment) Act 2019 strengthens the PIAB to ensure greater compliance with the process and encourage more claims to be settled through the model.

The new law provides a deterrent in any subsequent legal proceedings in relation to cases of non-cooperation with PIAB, such as non-attendance at medicals and failure to provide details of special damages or loss of earnings.

It also facilitates the greater use of technology by providing for the service of documents electronically.

Business Minister Heather Humphreys, who signed the commencement order yesterday, said: “This is an important piece of legislation because enhancing the role of the PIAB will not only benefit users of the service but also society more generally.

“Many commentators have suggested that the cost of personal injury claims is a contributing factor to the high cost of insurance premiums and, as Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, I am acutely aware of the serious impacts of this on businesses.

“The PIAB model is a good one because it deals with cases in a far shorter timeframe than is possible through litigation, which often takes several years and has a higher delivery cost. Ultimately it delivers compensation more quickly and less expensively.

“As a result, by encouraging more claimants to finalise their cases through the PIAB model, this should lead to cost savings in the claims environment. This is good for businesses and consumers alike.”

Conor O’Brien, PIAB CEO, added: “PIAB strongly welcomes the passing into law of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Amendment) Act 2019. The Act strengthens existing legislation and will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the PIAB operating model. The provisions contained in the new Act should ultimately lead to benefits for business and consumers.”