16th October 2025
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke has published an independent report Review of Compensation for Minor Soft Tissue Injuries in Ireland and the UK which reviews compensation awards for minor soft-tissue injuries in Ireland and the UK.
Referring to the independent report Minister Burke said:
“In July of this year, I asked the Injuries Resolution Board to undertake a piece of research to examine levels of Irish personal injury awards compared to the UK, and today I am launching their independent report: Review of Compensation for Minor Soft Tissue Injuries in Ireland and the UK. The objective of undertaking this research was to 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.”
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 report includes assessments by the Injuries Resolution Board and settlements made by three major Irish insurers, to provide an analysis of compensation for minor neck and back soft-tissue injuries sustained in road traffic accidents, comparing Ireland with England and Wales in the timeframe. This report provides evidence that Ireland’s award levels for these categories of injuries remain greater than those in England and Wales.
Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Trade Promotion, AI and Digital Transformation, Niamh Smyth added:
“We can see that reforms delivered by Government have had the positive impact intended, but we now know that further reforms introduced by the UK have widened the difference in compensation levels between both jurisdictions.
“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, accessibility and broader economic competitiveness.”
Over the three-year period, under the Personal Injuries Guidelines, the average assessment made by the Injuries Resolution Board was 3.9 times higher than the average in England and Wales, while the average Irish insurer settlement was 4.9 times higher for minor neck or back injuries.
Minister Burke was speaking at the launch of The Injuries Resolution Board Strategic Plan 2025-2029. Referring to the strategy Minister Burke said:
“I welcome the launch of the Injuries Resolution Board Strategic Plan 2025-2029. The Plan is ambitious, and seeks to enhance the work of the Board to deliver an even greater service for claimants, respondents and society as a whole. Since establishment, the Injuries Resolution Board has consistently demonstrated its commitment to a non-adversarial approach to claims resolution and the wider insurance reform agenda.
“By delivering a fair, prompt, and cost-effective outcomes for personal injury claims the Injuries Resolution Board contributes strongly to the objectives of the new Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity. In 2024 alone, €76 million was saved through the work of the Injuries Resolution Board in the avoidance of legal costs associated with litigation.”
Ends
Further Information:
About the Injuries Resolution Board
The Injuries Resolution Board independently assesses claims for compensation arising from personal injuries sustained as a result of a motor, workplace, or public liability incident, as well as handling Garda malicious injury compensation claims.
Under the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Acts 2003-2022, all personal injury claims, with certain exceptions, such as medical negligence cases, must be submitted to the Board unless they are settled by the parties involved at an early stage.
The Central Bank’s reporting under the National Claims Information Database (NCID) repeatedly shows that claims settled through the Injuries Resolution Board are settled faster and have much lower legal costs than those settled through litigation.
Personal Injuries Guidelines
The Personal Injuries Guidelines introduced in April 2021 set down amounts that may be awarded by general damages as compensation in personal injury claims. Both the courts and the Injuries Resolution Board must have regard to the guidelines when assessing injury claims.
On 4 February 2025 the Judicial Council submitted draft revised Personal Injuries Guidelines to the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration proposing a 16.7% increase in injury compensation awards. Following a meeting of the ‘Cabinet Sub-Group on Insurance Reform’ on 9 July 2025, it was announced that the Minister of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration would not be bringing a resolution seeking approval of the revised Personal Injury Guidelines to the Oireachtas at that point and that the matter would be subject to further review.
Action Plan on Insurance Reform
On 24 July 2025 the Government published its new Action Plan for Insurance Reform which aims to create a fair, more transparent and competitive insurance market that delivers affordable and accessible insurance for consumers and businesses. A priority action within the plan is reform of how the Personal Injuries Guidelines are updated. The independent benchmarking report being published today will contribute to that process and the broader objectives to both drive competitiveness and ensure access to justice.
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