Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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90. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will give consideration to the issues raised by an association (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17944/25]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government - Securing Ireland’s Future, sets out a range of commitments to build upon the reforms delivered to date in the insurance sector. A new Action Plan for Insurance Reform is being developed which will focus on encouraging further competition in the market and working with stakeholders to enhance transparency and affordability across all types of insurance.

I have recently met with the Alliance for Insurance Reform. I advised them how I will ensure that the work of the Injuries Resolution Board is further strengthened in the Government’s new Action Plan for Insurance Reform to continue to drive the important issue of insurance reform, taking account of the wider issue of competitiveness and potential impacts on our economy.

The Personal Injuries Guidelines were introduced in 2021 as part of the previous Governments efforts to reform the personal injuries claim system. The Guidelines set down standardized figures for the compensation of categories of injuries in personal injury claims, providing a clear and consistent approach for how compensation should be awarded.

The Judicial Council, an independent body whose members are all of the judges in Ireland, is required under the Judicial Council Act 2019 to review the Guidelines every 3 years.

In accordance with the provisions of that Act, the Judicial Council, as it is required to do, submitted amendments to the Guidelines to the Minister for Justice in February this year. Those amendments include a 16.7% increase in the value of awards which the Judicial Council calculated with reference to the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP).

It is now for the Minister for Justice to lay a draft of the amendments to the guidelines before the Oireachtas for review. I will continue to engage with the Minister for Justice in considering the proposed new Guidelines taking account of the wider issue of competitiveness, their potential impacts on our economy and the continued strengthening of the personal injury claims settlement framework in Ireland.

Since establishment in 2004 the Injuries Resolution Board, an Agency of my Department, has dealt with over 500,000 claim applications, made nearly 200,000 assessments of compensation resulting in over €4 billion in awards. This has led to direct savings of over €1.26 billion in avoided legal fees through its assessment service where these awards have been accepted by both parties.

In 2023 alone €75 million was saved through the work of the Injuries Resolution Board from the avoided legal costs associated with litigation, with a similar draft figure of €76 million in 2024.

I welcome the Injuries Resolution Board’s latest report, Personal Injuries Award Values Report 8, which again shows the strong impact that the Board has in offering a cost effective and expedient solution for settling injury claims and reducing the need to go to court, thereby saving millions of euros that would have been spent on legal fees.