Rubberstamping this increase without proper scrutiny amounts to a dereliction of duty from government, according to Social Democrats acting leader Cian O\u2019Callaghan.<\/p>\n
Deputy O\u2019Callaghan, who\u2019s the party\u2019s finance spokesperson, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe report from the National Claims Information Database (NCID), released by the Central Bank, indicates that the cost of motor claims increased by 23% during the first half of last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis rise is linked to a higher volume of motor claims and a notable increase in repair costs due to inflation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese inflationary costs are driving up premiums for policy holders – in light of this, the government’s plan to increase personal injury payouts by 17% raises significant concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe proposed increase will inevitably result in higher premiums for motorists, businesses, and community and voluntary organisations across the country – this is particularly reckless in the midst of a cost of living crisis where people and small businesses are already struggling to get by.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile special damages for actual financial losses, such as lost income and medical costs, accurately reflect inflation, it is unreasonable to apply the same logic to general damages while current awards are still much higher than those in most other countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is essential that the suggested increase is not merely rubber-stamped by the Minister for Justice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am calling on the Government to refer this issue to the relevant Oireachtas Committee for detailed scrutiny.”<\/p>\n
3rd July, 2025<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rubberstamping this increase without proper scrutiny amounts to a dereliction of duty from government, according to Social Democrats acting leader Cian O\u2019Callaghan. Deputy O\u2019Callaghan, who\u2019s the party\u2019s finance spokesperson, said: \u201cThe report from the National Claims Information Database (NCID), released by the Central Bank, indicates that the cost of motor claims increased by 23% during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[278,88,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cian-ocallaghan","category-finance","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n