Mr. Jackie McMahon:

Within that breakdown, there are also questions about how severe were the injuries and loss and what is an appropriate compensation for a case of that severity. We could argue a subjective point here. Someone could claim they have pain in their neck because they say they have. He or she tells a doctor about the pain and that doctor states that this person has pain in his or her neck. The doctor then provides a medical report which states that the person has pain in his or neck and which is presented during a court case. We value that, in Ireland, starting at approximately €15,000, with an average of €20,000, compared to the UK where the figures are between £300 and £3,000. It is a question of the magnitude and severity of the injury and the rewards that are granted.

There are tables of rates for different firms that outline the level of compensation a claimant is likely to get for various types of injuries. Those are well publicised in many different quarters. They are well out of step with our international benchmarking and the Personal Injuries Commission has proven that. We are way out of step with international norms. The problem is that significant costs are generated because awards are higher. For every €10,000 we pay in litigation, we pay another €4,000 in legal expenses. It is higher than what they are getting pre-litigation.