Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 18 December 2019
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality
Access to Justice and Legal Costs: Discussion (Resumed)
Mr. Gerry Hassett:
No. As I explained previously, it is not an exact science. A premium is collected in a single year and losses or claims are sustained in future periods. This report is very clear. It is probably much more accurate about earlier years than later years because the claims data for earlier years are much more accurate. We have been able to count up all the claims with the passing of time. We have seen for litigative cases that companies typically reserve four to six years ahead. When a premium is set, one is not always aware of what the claims experience will be. That is why it is cyclical. Sometimes one overshoots and sometimes one undershoots. That is the nature of it.
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