PIAB has 600 cases on its books

THE Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB), set up in April to lower the cost of insurance claims, is currently dealing with 600 cases.

According to chief executive Patricia Byron the board has had 4,000 phone calls and 267,000 hits on its website from the public.

Ms Byron said the board’s remit was clear: to reduce the cost of claims by the public and it had made good progress so far.

Speaking at the Small Firms Association (SFA) conference yesterday, Mr Byron said the board was looking to reduce the legal costs of claims by up to 90%. “Independent research shows litigation costs add 40%-50% to the actual compensation award. That means if you had to pay €20,000 in a settlement, the additional cost would have amounted to €8-10,000.”

However, she said by going to the PIAB the cost will amount to just €1,000 and the case could be settled much quicker.

“For the first time, instead of facing lengthy legal procedures, people who have been injured at work through the negligence of their employer, can contact the Personal Injuries Assessment Board. They can be confident their case will be reviewed in months by our assessors and compensation swiftly delivered,” she said.

Research by the PIAB shows 55% of its cases relate to workplace accidents with the rest divided equally between motor and public liability insurance.

However, she said since the board was set up in April some 6,000 cases were rushed into litigation. The setting up of the PIAB was one of the main recommendations of the Motor Insurance Advisory Board report.