Seanad debates
Thursday, 20 November 2003
Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003: Second Stage.
The composition of the board is representative of consumers, employers, the legal and medical professions etc. Everyone has an input. It will be a success, but whatever provision the Tánaiste makes – she will have the power to remove any board at any time – I believe a five year period will indicate significant change. In terms of cost, the Tánaiste indicated a figure of between €6 million and €8 million, which will be self-financed over the next few years. Those are the current calculations, although the Law Society came up with the enormous figure of €28 million or something like it. Time will prove it was the correct initiative. The Tánaiste will still be in office when the review of the PIAB is done in five years time. I will then ask for a detailed cost analysis to see if we were right to bring forward this Bill and if it has brought down the cost of premiums.
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