Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 December 2025
363. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the position regarding the implementation of 16.7% uplift on personal injury guidelines following the independent report carried out by the Injuries Resolution Board, which was launched by the Minister on 16 October 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69749/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI want to thank the Deputy for the question.
Responsibility for the Judicial Council Act 2019 under which the Personal Injuries Guidelines fall, lies with the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
As required by section 7 of the Judicial Council Act 2019, the Minister for Justice laid the revised Personal Injury Guidelines before the Oireachtas on 17th September 2025. The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration noted that in laying the revised Personal Injury Guidelines, he would not be bringing a resolution seeking approval of the proposed revised Personal Injury Guidelines to the Oireachtas and that the matter would be subject to further review.
The current Personal Injuries Guidelines therefore continue in force and apply equally to the Courts and the Injuries Resolution Board.
The Government has since approved the drafting of a general scheme of a Bill to amend the Judicial Council Act 2019 to make reviews of the Personal Injuries Guidelines more comprehensive and transparent. My Department is working with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration who are leading on the drafting of the scheme.
In July of this year, Minister Burke commissioned the Injuries Resolution Board to undertake a piece of research to examine levels of Irish personal injury awards compared to the UK. That independent report, ‘A Review of Compensation for Minor Soft Tissue Injuries in Ireland and the UK’ was published on 16 October.
The report analyses over 12,000 awards and settlements made under the Personal Injuries Guidelines between 2022 to 2024 and provides evidence that Ireland’s award levels for these categories of injuries remain greater than those in England and Wales.
Both Minister Burke and I will continue to attend meetings of the Cabinet Committee Subgroup on Insurance Reform, working alongside colleagues across Government to advocate on behalf of business and consumers to drive the insurance reform agenda, taking account of the wider issue of competitiveness and impacts on our economy.
