The establishment of the Personal Injuries Commission is one of the key recommendations in the Cost of Insurance Working Group Report on the Cost of Motor Insurance published on the 10th January 2017 by the Minister for Finance, Mr Michael Noonan T.D., and the Minister of State for Financial Services, Mr Eoghan Murphy T.D. The Report sets out a comprehensive package of measures that tackle many of the identified problems in the motor insurance sector.
The purpose of the Personal Injuries Commission is to investigate and make recommendations on processes in other jurisdictions which could enhance the claims process in Ireland. The terms of reference, set out in the Report, include the commissioning of medical research, benchmarking of international awards for personal injury cases, analysing and reporting on international compensation levels and compensation mechanisms.
On the 10th January 2017 I announced the appointment of Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns as chair of the Personal Injuries Commission. The Personal Injuries Commission will include relevant stakeholders from the legal, medical and insurance sectors and relevant Government Departments and Agencies. I am now writing to the appropriate organisations seeking nominees. The Personal Injuries Commission will hold its first meeting on the 10th February 2017.
Given the comprehensive terms of reference for the Personal Injuries Commission I consider that its reporting timelines are appropriate.
