Insurance Ireland welcomes today’s judgment by the Supreme Court which challenged the constitutionality of the Personal Injuries Guidelines.  

Moyagh Murdock, CEO, Insurance Ireland, said “This is a very welcome outcome for consumers with the veracity of the Personal Injuries Guidelines upheld, which has been the most important piece of the Government’s Insurance Reform Agenda in seeking to bring down the high cost of personal injury awards in Ireland. We particularly welcome the clear indication by the court that the guidelines can only be departed from where there is no reasonable proportion between the guidelines and the damages award that should be made.

The judgment is very comprehensive and we will consider the findings in depth over the coming days. However, it will bring much needed certainty to the market and claimants can take comfort that their claims will be dealt with fairly and more expediently through the Injuries Resolution Board (IRB) instead of going through a lengthy litigation process. The recent Central Bank report the NCID report on the Employers and Public Liability (EL & PL) showed that only 12% of claims were being dealt with by the IRB. Today’s judgment should have a positive impact on reducing the significant volume (73%) and ultimately should also reduce the hefty legal costs associated with litigated claims.

While it is too early in the process to see the full impact of today’s judgment, it is safe to say it should encourage new entrants into the market which would be very welcome especially in the Employers and Public Liability (EL & PL) market, for business and consumers alike.

The outcome of today’s judgment underpins the work of the Government and is a key enabler for the actions in the Agenda for Insurance Reform.”

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