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A second meeting of the country’s judges will take place this morning to consider the proposed new guidelines for personal injury cases.
A meeting last month ended without any agreement on the approval of guidelines that insurance reform activists eagerly await.
They hope that if they are adopted there will be a reduction in the amount of damages that can be awarded to claimants in such cases.
The judicial council, made up of the country’s 166 judges, met in early February, but did not make a decision and a new meeting was suspended until today, amid reports that some judges had doubts about the draft guidelines.
The proposals were developed by the council’s Personal Injury Committee and presented to the council meeting before Christmas.
Those in favor of insurance reform want an 80% cut in the level of personal injury compensation awarded by minor injury courts.
They say this will help significantly reduce the cost of insurance.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee said last night that she would present proposals to Cabinet on Tuesday on how to implement the new guidelines if they are adopted.
He said he intended the new guidelines to apply to all cases that had not yet been evaluated by the Personal Injury Evaluation Board.
He said he would also propose that the guidelines go into effect in relation to claims as soon as possible.
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