Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To address the clear point of the question, in 2021 Deputy Doherty introduced a Private Members' Bill, the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill, to the Dáil. At its core, this would require insurers to provide information to the Central Bank of Ireland on the impact of personal injuries guidelines through amendment to the Judicial Council Act. On 30 May 2024 Deputy Doherty informed the Business Committee of his intent to move the Bill to the select committee for consideration. As the Deputy is aware, the Bill’s financial implications are being evaluated by the Oireachtas. I outlined at yesterday's committee meeting that no request for a money message has yet been received by the Department of Finance.

Notwithstanding this, the concerns the Government has in relation to the Bill include an overlap with data already collected by the national claims information database, in turn presenting potential costs and burdens on the industry, along with questions around the utility of the proposed information to be collected. Furthermore, the Bill's broader scope compared to similar legislation in England and Wales raises proportionality issues. It must also be noted that insurance costs in England and Wales have increased by approximately 17% in recent years.

Accordingly, given the NCID's well established role, additional reporting as proposed is seen as being redundant and counterproductive. In short, while there is merit to the impetus of the Bill, there are other means that could perhaps do this in a more effective manner. However, I am committed to working with the Deputy on those other means going forward. The processing of the Bill is a matter for the Oireachtas at this stage.

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