Mr. Gerry Hassett:

I disagree with the Senator but I can see the logic of his position, so let me try to explain where we are coming from. First, 75% of awards relate to personal injury claims. While the number of cases is relevant, the amount of money is dictated by what is happening in the personal injury section. Second, even though the case count is coming down, that is in the year in which a claim is made whereas, typically, personal injury cases take three, four and five years to go through the system so there is a sort of multi-annual process. What we are also seeing is a reduction in the number of cases in the Personal Injuries Assessment Board and more cases going through the Circuit Court process. Therefore, the total numbers are masking some of the trends that are happening underneath the bonnet.