Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I wish to be very clear about the award levels. There are three pieces of work concerning award levels for soft tissue claims: one by the Department of Finance, which found that awards here were five times those awarded in the UK; one by PIAB, which states they were five times higher; and one by the Personal Injuries Commission, which states that award levels in the Irish jurisdiction are 4.4 times what they are in the UK. I want to see the awards reduced in line with the PIAB report, the Department of Finance report and the Personal Injuries Commission report. Those are the levels. This is not about 10%, 20% or 30%. This is to bring the award levels down in line with other jurisdictions, namely, England and Wales.

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