Justice Minister does not believe 'extraordinary' rise in insurance premiums is down to awards
The Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan has said he does not accept claims from the insurance industry that premiums are rising due to court awards.
New figures from the Courts Service show there has been no increase in the number of personal injury claims.
The annual report shows that the total number of personal injury applications lodged to the three courts - the High Court, the Circuit Court and the District Court - fell slightly, from 22,417 in 2017 to 22,049 in 2018.
Awards in personal injury cases have dropped by nearly 19%, while the average amount awarded in medical negligence cases in the High Court has reduced by over 47%.
Minister Flanagan said insurance companies need to be more transparent:
The Justice Minister said: "If somebody has an accident and that accident is somebody else's fault, well then the claimant is entitled to compensation. That is the whole basis of insurance.
"However, I believe the insurance industry must do more in terms of transparency, in terms of accountability, in terms of justifying what has been an extraordinary increase in premiums that I don't accept is down to awards."
