Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. McMahon and Mr. Cahalan for their presentations. We have been dealing with insurance all day.

We have been considering the insurance industry for years. Premiums appear to be continuing to rise and the cost increasing. An issue that arose in the course of earlier contributions is the process by which claims are settled. There is a perception that the insurance companies are not going to court to fight cases but are settling them outside of court. In the event of an accident, a person takes an action against a policyholder, but the perceptions is that in most cases the insurance company will settle rather than fight the case in court. Will the witnesses elaborate on whether that is a myth or the reality? What percentage of claims are settled outside court and what percentage are settle in court?