PIAB 'bringing large savings'

The Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) has said substantial savings are emerging from its handling of personal injury claims.

PIAB boss Patricia Byron added at the launch of the board's first annual report that savings will grow substantially in the coming months.

“PIAB, the new statutory body charged with the assessment of personal injury claims in Ireland has met all of its targets," she said.

"This includes setting up the organisation (including) recruiting management and staff, building new infrastructure, systems and process and appointing a service centre provider… All of this was completed in 2004 on time and under budget."

PIAB was set up to be a self-financing statutory agency and Ms Byron said that this would be achieved by the end of this year.

She said 13,000 applications had been received by the board, the majority of them this year.

Some 5,000 of these claims have either been settled up-front between parties following PIAB’s intervention, or claim papers are being submitted by the claimant.

The remaining 8,000 are at various stages of the nine-month assessment process. Assessments to date have been delivered approximately three times faster and at a delivery charge four times cheaper than under the litigation system, the PIAB said.

The total compensation awarded so far amounts to €2.7m. The cost of delivering this compensation under the PIAB system amounted to €185,000.

The PIAB service is available six days a week between 8am and 8pm on lo-call 1890 829 121.