Mr. Sean Quigley:

This issue was looked at in 2002. The registrar of wards of court must look at the ongoing and future expenditure requirements. There are modelling tools available to the registrar which can forecast how long the money would be expected to last based on projected expenditure. The investment decision will be aimed at maximising the value that can be got from the fund. Obviously, if the value of the award in the first place was determined by taking account of contributory negligence or other factors, it is very difficult to guarantee things. While it may be the wish of the court, circumstances can change. Inflation can have an impact. However, we do everything we can to maximise the value of the award. It has been recognised that there may be a need for a different approach involving, perhaps, periodic payments to help to mitigate risk. Within the current system, we are doing the best job we can.