MEN ACCOUNTED for more than two-thirds of the total number of claims for accidental death made to Irish Life in 2010, the insurer has said.

Releasing statistics on the number of claims received in the last five years, the life assurance company said it had paid over €1bn to claimants in the last five years, including over €600m for death claims and €272m for income protection.

70 per cent of the accidental death claims received in the last twelve months alone, it said, were in respect of the deaths of male clients.

A massive 65 per cent of claims for deaths in 2010 alone, meanwhile, were in respect of cancer and heart-related conditions – underlining the prevalence of both conditions.

In terms of specified illness claims, cancer accounted for over half – 58 per cent – while heart conditions made up another 22 per cent. Other major conditions included stroke (8 per cent) and multiple sclerosis (3 per cent).

The majority of victims of road traffic accidents, it said, were males aged between 18 and 40.

Irish Life also said it had paid out on all but 2.4 per cent of death claims in 2010, with the 31 rejected claims declined due to non-disclosure.