Sir, – While I feel enormous sympathy for your letter writer CK Forde of Monasterevin (November 19th), who is clearly suffering the long-term effects of a motor accident, I must take issue on two fundamental points.
First, the entire focus of proposed reform of the personal injury area is directed at a realistic reduction in general damages for pain and suffering to international norms. Nobody has proposed touching special damages for necessary medicines, medical expenses or loss of earnings. These expenses will be unaffected by proposed reforms. Second, we at the Alliance for Insurance Reform have not come across anyone arguing that compensation for serious, ongoing injuries be reduced. The entire debate has been about minor injuries in substantial recovery or where there is an expectation of a full recovery. I entirely agree with CK Forde that fraudsters be targeted and exposed, not rewarded, and we continue to press Government for action in that area. – Yours, etc,
PETER BOLAND,
Alliance for
Insurance Reform,
Dublin 2.