Updated at 3pm

NEW FIGURES HAVE shown that the average compensation award for an accident in the first six months of this year came to €22,375.

This is an increase of €293 from €22,082 in the same period last year.

There has also been an increase in the number of people who have put in new claims to the board, rising from 15,987 to 17,132.

This increase in claims has been put down to greater numbers of people returning to work.

An issue raised by the Injuries Board was a disproportionate increase in insurance premiums compared with the relatively small rise in the number of successful claims.

Many customers have experienced double-digit rises this year.

The Injuries Board is a government operated body that was set up to assess claims for compensation for anyone involved in an accident or who has suffered an injury.

How big has the increase been?

While there was a rise in the total number of new claims and the average amount paid out, the overall value of compensation decreased from €146.8 million paid to 6,552 individuals last year to €128.45 million paid to 5,741 personal injury claimants in the first six months of this year.

The majority of awards were paid out for road traffic accidents, with them accounting for more than 75% of the total.
16.3% of awards were for accidents in public place and 7.8% were for workplace accidents.

The board estimates that it creates average annual savings of €100 million over what would be paid out if claims were pursued through the courts.

Response

Speaking about the new figures, Maurice Priestley, interim CEO of the Injuries Board, said, “It is not surprising that there has been a modest increase in claims volumes this year to date given the general economic upturn with more people at work and a lot more vehicles on the road.

However, what we are seeing are insurance premiums increases in the region of 20% and further clarity is needed on the precise cause of increases of this scale.

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