THE Seanad yesterday passed a Bill which extends to cohabiting couples the right to compensation arising from the criminal death of a dependant.
Under the present law, a family type relationship, with financial dependency, had to be proved, said the Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Mr Taylor. It confined compensation to spouses, children, grandparents, brothers and sisters. Many people now cohabited without getting married.
"The persons concerned are married in all but name. Equity would seem to require that those persons should not be discriminated against where there are good and valid reasons for applying laws to them which apply to other classes of persons.
Mr Dick Roche (FF) welcomed the Bill, saying it was "a humane extension of the law to people who are not bonded by way of conventional marriage". He deplored the number of "ambulance chasing" solicitors who were pursuing claims and sometimes keeping a large proportion of the proceeds as costs.
Mr Dan Neville (FG) said the courts were over generous, particularly in personal injuries cases.
This led to our insurance premiums being among the highest in Europe. He called for a schedule of awards laid down by law and for the control of legal costs.
Mr Taylor said his experience during 40 years as a solicitor was that the courts did not "dispense largesse". Juries had been much criticised for being generous but when they were abolished in civil cases the level of compensation actually rose, indicating that judges thought the level of compensation was too low.