Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 December 2019
58. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the progress of the implementation of the recommendations of the Personal Injuries Commission that are relevant to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49932/19]
View answerThe Personal Injuries Commission (PIC) was established in 2017. During its 18-month work programme, which concluded in July 2018, the PIC delivered two reports with 14 recommendations.
The First Report of the PIC, published in December 2017 made four recommendations, of which 2 are ongoing, 1 is partially complete and the final recommendation, relating to the Book of Quantum, has been superseded by the PIC’s recommendation that a Judicial Council, when established, be requested, by the Minister for Justice and Equality, to compile judicial guidelines for appropriate general damages for various types of personal injury.
The Second and Final Report made a further 10 recommendations. While they are not timebound, I would expect that they should be implemented as soon as possible by the relevant bodies. Following publication of this Report, I wrote to relevant Government colleagues and other organisations seeking co-operation in advancing the implementation of the recommendations relevant to them. Progress on implementing the recommendations is reported on through the Cost of Insurance Working Group Progress Reports the most recent of which was published in July 2019. Four of the PIC recommendations relate directly to recommendations in the two Cost of Insurance Working Group Reports. Of the remaining six, one is complete, two relate to the development of judicial guidelines, and these along with the remaining three recommendations, are under consideration by relevant organisations.
I believe that the cumulative effects of the implementation of all the recommendations from the two Reports of the Personal Injuries Commission, alongside the reports of the Cost of Insurance Working Group and the measures contained in the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Amendment) Act 2019, should bring greater consistency and predictability to awards, faster resolution of claims and ultimately, a reduction in insurance premiums. This will benefit consumers, businesses and society as a whole.
