Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy for taking this question. PIAB was established in 2004 to assess personal injuries compensation in a timely and cost-efficient manner.

The board has delivered major benefits by providing a low-cost, quick and fair option in injury compensation. It annually saves tens of millions of euro that would otherwise be paid in costs by parties, and ultimately be a cost borne by policyholders. The work of the board in 2021 will be set out in its annual report, which will be published later this year. In the interim, I have been informed by PIAB that 21,410 applications were received by the board in 2021, comprising 11,409 motor claims, 5,774 public liability claims and 4,227 employer liability claims. PIAB’s provisional figures show that the board completed 8,024 assessments in 2021, of which 4,748 were made since the introduction of the new personal injuries guidelines.

In 2021, there was a significant change in the operations of PIAB arising from the commencement of the personal injuries guidelines. The board reported in October 2021 that under the new guidelines the average total award was €14,223, a 40% decrease compared with 2020. Of the cases assessed, 71% of awards were less than €15,000 compared to 30% of awards made by the board in 2020. In 2022, I intend to enhance and strengthen the agency to facilitate an increase in the resolution of personal injury claims. Yesterday, I published the general scheme of the personal injuries resolution board Bill 2022. The scheme proposes to amend the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Acts, 2003 to 2019, in a number of ways, including giving PIAB a new function to offer mediation as a means of resolving a claim. PIAB will retain claims of a wholly psychological nature. PIAB will deepen its analysis and public information roles. We will also strengthen the discretion of the courts regarding costs in litigation.

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