• Personal Injuries Guidelines Committee designate membership identified and meeting to take place in the near future according to Chief Justice Frank Clarke
• Insurance Ireland welcomes the Chief Justice’s recognition of the need for urgency and it calls on the Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan to commence the relevant sections of the Judicial Council Act which was passed by the Oireachtas in July.
• 500 insurance professionals consider ‘The Cost of Fraud to Society’ at Insurance Ireland’s 7th Annual Fraud Conference
• “This is an important announcement from the Chief Justice and we look forward to the swift progression of the Council’s work on new guidelines for personal injury as the key reform of our cost of claims” – Gerry Hassett, Interim CEO of Insurance Ireland

Insurance Ireland has welcomed the announcement by Chief Justice Frank Clarke of the membership of Judicial Council’s Personal Injuries Guidelines Committee but called for a timeline for the recalibration of personal injury awards and the commencement of all remaining sections of the Judicial Council Act.

Now in its seventh year, Insurance Ireland’s Fraud Conference has become an essential forum for considering the industry’s response to this recognised public policy issue.

Gerry Hassett, Interim CEO of Insurance Ireland said, “The defining issue in insurance is the cost of compensation awards. The real effects of claims inflation are seen in lower value high frequency injuries like whiplash and our awards are 4.4 times what they are in the UK. Chief Justice Frank Clarke today announced the membership of the Judicial Council’s Personal Injuries Guidelines Committee. This is an important announcement and we look forward to the swift progression of the Council’s work on new guidelines for personal injury as the key reform of our cost of claims. Insurance Ireland is seeking further clarity on the exact timeline for the Committee’s recalibration of awards and is calling for the Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan to commence the remaining sections of the Judicial Council Act immediately.”
 
“The announcement of the committee’s designate membership was made at the opening of our seventh annual Fraud Conference where representatives from insurers, the medical profession, An Garda Síochána and business, considered the theme of ‘the Cost of Fraud to Society’. While the vast majority of claims are genuine, the cost of compensation awards is an incentive for fraudulent activity, and we look forward to seeing new guidelines for personal injury awards.”

Gerry concluded, “Today is another step on the road to the reform of our cost of claims. It’s a welcome step but policyholders need clarity on the timeline for this work and when the new guidelines will be ready. Reform of our cost of claims is overdue and it must be completed as a matter of urgency in the interests of all policyholders.”

This year’s theme is ‘The Cost of Fraud to Society’ and will hear from speakers including Dr Jason van der Velde, Cork University Hospital and Medical Director and Founder of West Cork Rapid Response, Lorcan O’Connor, CEO of CIE, and Michael Whelehan, Head of Claims at IPB. Other speakers include Derek Lande, Technology Strategy Lead, Accenture, Lorcan O’Connor, CEO of CIE, and Michael Horan, Non-Life Manager at Insurance Ireland.