The state body that allows people to resolve personal injury claims without incurring legal costs is proposing a radical rethink of how it operates
The Injuries Resolution Board has called on the Government to consider changing the law to allow it to sanction the paying of legal fees.
Such a move would represent a massive U-turn because the board was set up 20 years ago with the express intention of avoiding costly legal fees.
Under current legislation, the board can sanction the paying of legal fees only in very limited circumstances.
In a submission to the Department of Finance, as part of the public consultation on a new Action Plan For Insurance Reform, the Injuries Resolution Board says that 95pc of claimants using its services are represented by a solicitor. The fact that it does not pay legal fees means people often reject its settlement offers, the submission states.
Close to half of the settlement offers made by the board are rejected. However, legal fees often end up being paid by insurers' lawyers after the claim leaves the Injuries Resolution Board, the submission says.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Government relies too heavily on housing supports, damning report says
Housing Commission warned that such schemes underpin inflation in private rents and do not help the development of additional rental stock The Government is over-reliant on housing supports such as HAP and the rental accommodation scheme (RAS), which are underpinning rent price growth, a damning report has warned. The Housing Commission report, which is unpublished, said increased homelessness and a shortage of rental accommodation shows the State is too reliant on such schemes and should transition away from them.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
€100,000 viability gap per new apartment means the homes we need won't be built, developers warn
'Would-be homeowners are not willing to pay €500,000 for an apartment' Sean Pollock and Fearghal O'Connor Today at 21:30 A number of Ireland's most prominent housing developers have voiced major concern over the Government's handling of the ongoing housing crisis. One big international player in the Irish market, the US property firm Greystar, warned that housing investment is now being deployed in other countries due to 'problematic policy changes' in Ireland that had created 'uncertainty in the market and often unintended consequences'.
RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Calls for transparency around cross-border project funds
There is significant scope to enhance transparency around funding for cross-border projects, one of the Government's key policy programmes, the Parliamentary Budget Office has stated. More than €2 billion has been pledged to the Shared Ireland Initiative over the period from 2021 to 2035. However, the report by the Budget Office found that there was currently a disjointed approach to financial reporting on the Shared Island Fund. More than €550 million has been committed to date but the Budget Office stated that it was unclear how much of this funding has been allocated at this point. The Shared Ireland Initiative is aiming to promote cooperation across the island of Ireland. Some of the funding commitments include €600 million for the A5 North-West transport corridor, the construction of the Narrow Water Bridge along with a contribution towards the redevelopment of Casement Park. A Government spokesperson said all allocations from the Shared Island Fund are reported on in Dáil statements, parliamentary question replies and in the Initiative's annual reports. They said the Department of the Taoiseach will consider the Parliamentary Budget Office report in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and NDP Delivery and Reform. "More detailed project-level reporting on Shared Island Fund allocations would need to take account of the fact that individual Departments are responsible for management of and reporting of funds within their votes, including from the Shared Island Fund," the spokesperson said.
