Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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799. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if consideration will be given to a consultation process to amend the injuriesboard.ie book of quantum in an effort to tackle high compensation payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11879/17]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) is an independent statutory agency charged with assessing claims for compensation arising from personal injuries sustained as a result of a motor, workplace or public liability accident and where both parties, claimant and respondent, consent to an assessment.  It is a matter for the parties concerned whether or not they wish to accept the assessment.  I have no direct function in relation to the day to day operational matters of PIAB. 

Section 54 of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003 sets out the principal functions of the Board. Section 54(1)(b) states: ‘to prepare and publish a document (which shall be known as the ‘‘Book of Quantum’’) containing general guidelines as to the amounts that may be awarded or assessed in respect of specified types of injury’.

The revised Book of Quantum was published on 5 October 2016.  The Book was compiled by independent consultants and commissioned by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB).

The Book isn’t a recommendation for compensation levels but rather a reflection of the prevailing level of awards, i.e.:

- compensation values awarded by the courts

- settlements agreed by the Insurance Industry

- settlements agreed by the State Claims Agency; and

- settlements agreed through the PIAB process.

The revised Book of Quantum provides the most comprehensive research available on levels of personal injuries awards prevailing in Ireland.  It is based on a detailed analysis of 51,000 closed personal injury claims from 2013 and 2014 and includes compensation awards from Court cases, insurance company settlements, State Claims Agency cases and data relating to awards of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board. It also contains more granular detail on injuries and new injury types and more narrowly defined compensation bands.

One of the recommendations in the Cost of Insurance Working Group Report on the Cost of Motor Insurance published on 10 January 2017 by the Minister for Finance, Mr Michael Noonan T.D., and the Minister of State for Financial Services, Mr Eoghan Murphy T.D. is to explore with the judiciary how future reviews of the Book of Quantum/guidelines might involve appropriate judicial involvement in its compilation or adoption.