Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Gilhooly and Mr. McGarry for their opening statements, in advance and this afternoon. The Law Society of Ireland and the Council of the Bar of Ireland are the 14th and 15th, or thereabouts, organisations that the committee has heard since last Wednesday, including the Minister of State at the start. I will not go back over all those sessions. There has been some insurance company bashing but it is fair to say that there has also been legal system bashing, of the courts, the Judiciary and individuals, either solicitors or barristers, on the issue legal costs taking up a large chunk of the costs involved in the injuries claims process. Reference was also made to the so-called care not cash system and how that might just move costs from the legal system to the medical system , although I am not sure whether that would be true. I take the witnesses' points on the constitutionality of the plan, the potential for complications, if it could happen and so on.

The witnesses appear to be in touch with all the volumes, figures etc. Will they indicate how many motor insurance legal cases are taken per year? A figure of 40,000 was mentioned.