A solicitor based in Waterford has said that he doesn't think there will be a reduction in insurance premiums if new guidelines are introduced around injury payouts.
Hillary Delahunty from HR Delahunty Solicitors in Waterford City says that he isn't against a revision of the current system, however, he is worried awards for people who are seriously injured in accidents will be reduced.
The level of awards for minor whiplash injuries could be cut by up to 50% under new guidelines being considered.
The Irish Independent reports the country's most senior judges will meet again on February 20th to discuss a framework for damages in personal injury cases and insurers have promised to lower premiums if there's a reduction in the level of awards.
Hilary Delahunty from HR Delahunty Solicitors in Waterford agrees with the reform but says the insurance companies are the main group who are calling for the change.
"If you were cynical about this, you might say that the people who are pushing hardest for this are the insurance companies and they're doing it in circumstances where they simply want to reduce the amount they have to pay-out.
"It's not wrong of them to want to do that, they're companies and they're interested in profit. The difficulty is that an awful lot of people are significantly injured in different types of accidents including road traffic accidents.
"We are now going to have a situation whereby people who are involved in accidents which aren't deemed serious by insurance companies are not going paid out properly. That can't be a good thing", Delahunty said.
He says there has already been a reduction in pay-outs for individuals who are involved in accidents, however, that has not led to a price cut in insurance premiums.
"Over the last number of years awards have certainly gone down across the board and not just in whiplash injuries, in terms of very serious debilitating injuries the payments have gone down and premiums have not gone down - in fact, they've gone up substantially.
"So the idea that it is just payments out that are affecting premiums - that is simply not the case, and insurance companies will have us believe that it is", the Waterford based solicitor said.
