Seanad debates

Monday, 24 November 2003

Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003: Committee Stage.

 

Conceivably, insurance companies will play the system. They may not do so in every case but they may do so with relatively small cases such as those worth €10,000 or €15,000 which they will put through the system, knowing that delay is likely to help them rather than the claimant, with the intention all along of going through the court system at the end, or if the assessment is not to their liking. The assessment will to some extent at least flush out the claim and the claimant, and the sort of evidence likely to be available to them. The Minister will no doubt say that is not admissible in court and of course it is not. In theory nothing that happens during the assessment process is admissible in court. The very fact of a delay and of the insurance company knowing in advance how much it is going to cost does inevitably prejudice it and gives it more bullets in its locker than is fair if the company has not been obliged to accept liability in the first place.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.