The integrity of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB), must be protected to ensure a fair enviroment for businesses, it was claimed this morning.
The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI), reacting to yesterday's High Court judgement, which found that the Board must deal directly with lawyers acting for claimants if asked to do so, also called for clarifcation of the PIAB Act.
"Just last week almost 1,000 jobs were lost," CCI Chief Executive, Mr John Dunne said." Businesses still list insurance as one of their top four costs and accordingly the drivers of insurance cost inflation must be controlled.
"The Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act needs to be clarified and enacted in the most cost effective and constitutional way in order to protect the objectives and the work of the PIAB," Mr Dunne said.
He said clarification of the Act was critical if businesses were to control their costs and maintain competitiveness.
Yesterday's judgment, which was welcomed by representatives of the legal profession, found that the PIAB's policy of communicating directly with claimants, and refusing to deal with their solicitors, was outside the Act's powers and was in effect "anti-claimant."
