Written answers

Wednesday, 26 May 2021

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Personal Injuries Assessment Board

Photo of Pádraig O'SullivanPádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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61. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the waiting time for the completion of the case of a person by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28636/21]

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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The Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) facilitates the objective assessment of damages at a much lower delivery cost, and in a far shorter timeframe than through litigation.

The Central Bank’s second ‘National Claims Information Database - Private Motor Insurance Report’ published in November 2020 highlighted PIAB’s valuable role in significantly reducing the timeframe for delivery of personal injuries awards and in greatly reducing associated costs.

Section 49 of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003 provides that PIAB must assess claims within nine months of the respondent’s consent to the assessment process. In limited circumstances this may be extended by an additional six months. Further extension beyond this is only allowed with the consent of the claimant.

In common with many services there has been some impact on PIAB’s services arising from the pandemic. Most notably, independent medical examinations were suspended for periods due to restrictions and the need to protect the health system since March 2020. Notwithstanding the pandemic, PIAB processed over 26,000 claims in 2020 with the average time taken to assess a claim, from the date of consent to the date of award, being nine months.

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