Seanad debates
Thursday, 20 November 2003
Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003: Second Stage.
I ask the Bar Council to take what I have to say about costs into consideration. The council contends that no cost-benefit analysis of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board was carried out by the State. I read two reports though I am not sure if they were produced by the Bar Council or the Law Society. One was compiled by Des Peelo and the other by Dr. Peter Bacon. I read those from the perspective of my role in respect of auditing and accounting work. I approached Dr. Bacon's report with some interest as I have great admiration for his work, but I was devastated and disappointed by what he had written. I stopped reading when I realised the report was misleading on the matter of the cost-benefit analysis. I do not know whether the Minister has seen the report, but it included as part of the board's annual costs the actual establishment costs. I also record that I saw three further errors. That is not the way to do business. There are claims in the report which do not stand up to scrutiny. The costs outlined are simply incorrect.
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