There has been a 10 per cent increase in the number of claims to, and a 4 per cent increase in the size of awards being made by the Injuries Board, new figures indicate.
The latest six-month analysis from the board, covering January to June this year, also shows the highest proportion of personal claims came from people in counties Limerick, Longford and Dublin.
The Injuries Board was established 10 years ago as an independent statutory body to assess personal injury claims and make awards. It assesses claims arising from motor, workplace and public liability accidents.
The total compensation awarded to personal injury claimants in the period increased by 8.3 per cent to €118 million. Compensation was awarded to a total of 5,286 personal injury claimants, a 2 per cent increase on the 5,180 awards made during the same period last year.
There was a 10 per cent increase in the volume of new claims – 16,162 compared with 14,685 in January to June 2012 – in the period. The average award between January and June was €22,349, up 4 per cent on the €21,049 average in the same period in 2012.
Reduced fee
Chief executive Patricia Byron, however, said the increased number and amount of awards should not result in increased insurance premiums. She said the board had reduced by 30 per cent the fee charged to insurance companies for processing claims, which should more than off-set the awards increases in the January to June period. "We see no basis for insurance premium hikes at this time," she said.
When the figures are broken down by county it is evident that the top five counties for awards per head of population are Limerick, Longford, Dublin, Louth and Carlow. The bottom five counties are Kilkenny, Roscommon, Laois, Wexford and Wicklow. According to a spokesman for the board these counties were the same in 2012.
The county with the largest average awards was Clare, where the average was €33,519, followed by the neighbouring Galway where the average was €29,480.
The lowest average awards were made in Co Longford at €18,042, followed by Co Leitrim at €18,125.
