Cash compensation system is exacerbating our compo culture

This letter comes as a result of extreme frustration with the procedure in which personal injury claims are dealt with in the courts.

I read a national newspaper daily, and every day without fail I am bombarded with articles about people like ‘Jimmy’ who got almost €40,000 because he slipped on a loose street kerb after coming out of a pub after consuming 10 pints, or ‘Ann’ who was out walking in the woods and tripped on the root of a chestnut tree and sued for €38,000 or ‘Mary’ who got a similar amount because her freshly-shampooed King Charles got his tail caught in the door of a downstairs en suite.

Unfortunately this is where the humour ends, we now live in a society where we do not want to be accountable or responsible for anything.

My view is a simplistic one. Obviously there are many people who deserve the compensation that they receive but I find myself wondering how and why does cash compensate people for a trauma?

If you are traumatised then surely you need professional help and not a financial pay out?

If you need compensation for being unable to work for a month then you should get a month’s wages, likewise you should be entitled to your medical expense. If you need counselling then counselling should be made available to you. I feel this covers compensation in its entirety; you have been financially, medically and mentally compensated, so why does someone deserve tens of thousands in cash?

Would as many people claim for stress and trauma if they knew that they would get free counselling and not cash?

Or is there a new strain of trauma condition that is somehow only treatable by experiencing the heated leather seat of the 3 series BMW you can now afford post pay-out?

When it suits the government they can amend a law almost overnight, why then, can we not amend this ridiculous practice and protect the majority of this island from the opportunistic minority that are driving up our insurance premiums year on year?

Our politicians work for us, our taxes pay their wages, so let’s put them to work, let’s remind them that this is an election year and demand that they fix this. After all, election time is when politicians will offer to fix just about anything in order to secure your favour.

I challenge any publication or organisation to survey 1,000 people on the streets of Ireland on this matter, I doubt if many would disagree.

Rory Hanly

Castletownshend

Co Cork