THE AVERAGE SETTLEMENT for a minor neck or back injury is 4.9 times higher in Ireland than in England and Wales.

That’s according to a new independent report commissioned by the government comparing compensation for minor soft tissue injuries sustained in road traffic collisions in Ireland to the UK.

Prepared in collaboration with Deloitte, the report analyses over 12,000 awards and settlements made under the Personal Injuries Guidelines between 2022 and 2024.

The Personal Injuries Guidelines set guideline compensation levels for personal injury compensation awards in Ireland. 

In July, the Government published its new Action Plan for Insurance Reform and a “priority action” is a reform of how the Personal Injuries Guidelines to “provide clarity and consistency to the personal injury claims landscape”.

The report published today will contribute to that process.

Compensation

The report compares compensation awarded in Ireland to that of England and Wales for minor neck and back soft-tissue injuries sustained in road traffic collisions between 2022 and 2024.

Ireland’s award levels for these categories of injuries remain greater than those in England and Wales.

Over the three-year period, the average settlement made in Ireland by the Injuries Resolution Board was 3.9 times higher than the average in England and Wales.

Meanwhile, the average Irish insurer settlement was 4.9 times higher for minor neck or back injuries than in England and Wales.

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke had asked the Injuries Resolution Board to undertake this piece of research to compare the levels of Irish personal injury awards to the UK.

He said the research will provide “necessary and relevant information to support a review of the Personal Injuries Guidelines as provided for in the Government’s new Action Plan for Insurance Reform”.

Burke also praised the work of the Injuries Resolution Board, which was established in 2004 to offer an alternative to what it calls “unnecessary litigation”.

Speaking ahead of the launch of the Injuries Resolution Boad Strategic Plan for 2025-2029, Burke remarked that the plan is “ambitious” and “seeks to enhance the work of the Board to deliver an even greater service for claimants”.

He also praised its “commitment to a non-adversarial approach to claims resolution and the wider insurance reform agenda”.

He noted that last year, €76 million was saved through the work of the Injuries Resolution Board in the avoidance of legal costs associated with litigation.

Elsewhere, Minister of State Niamh Smyth remarked that while reforms already implemented have had a “positive impact, we now know further reforms introduced by the UK have widened the difference in compensation levels between both jurisdictions”.

She added: “We must seek to balance fair and appropriate compensation for personal injuries on the one hand and the broader impact that higher awards have on insurance affordability.”