Mr. Michael Horan:

What is driving the problem is the increasing cost of those lower-value injury claims. When I say lower value, in the Department of Finance report we are talking about under €250,000. Soft tissue injuries account for 80% of motor claims for injuries. On whiplash, we know from the Personal Injuries Commission report that the awards for soft tissue injuries in Ireland are 4.5 times higher than in the UK. Looking at the overall cost of claims over the years they have been increasing.