Róisín Garvey (Green Party)
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I thank the officials for appearing before the committee. I have been reading up on this for quite a while and it seems positive overall. We all know the amount of money wasted on legal fees in general. This seems to be a step in the right direction.

Is the mediation legally binding without having solicitors in the room? I know there are two types of mediation. There can be mediation where the parties agree on everything but it comes to nothing because it is not legally binding and there can be legally binding mediation. Will the mediation that PIAB is offering without either party bringing their solicitor into the room be legally binding if there is an agreement?

Why has the Government not given PIAB full adjudication powers? I ask the officials to tell me more about the court discretion regarding costs in litigation being tightened.