Statistics 2011

The following are statistics relating to awards, and delivery costs and savings from InjuriesBoard.ie in 2011.

Awards Volumes and Values

In 2011, the Board made 9,833 Awards to the value of €209.83 million. An Award is the value of compensation payable to an individual in respect of a Personal Injury claim where liability is not disputed. It includes General Damages for pain and suffering caused by the injury both to date and into the future. An Award may also include Special Damages for financial loss both to date and into the future e.g. loss of wages, cost of medical care etc. The table below sets out the number and value of Awards made each year since 2006.

Awards Volumes and Values by year

Awards by Claim category

The graph below shows that in 2011, 77% of all awards were in respect of Motor cases, while 8% related to Employer’s Liability and 15% related to Public Liability.

Breakdown of total no. of Awards in 2011 by value and Claim Category

65% of InjuriesBoard.ie Awards are under €20,000 and 91% are under €38,000 as per the table below. The profile of personal injury claims has remained relatively consistent since the Board became operational. Injuries sustained were and continue to be predominantly soft tissue or fractures, or a combination of both with associated compensation award levels of approximately 90% of such cases below €38,000 and two thirds below €20,000.

Breakdown of Total No. of Awards in 2011 (by Value and Claim Category)

Value of Average Awards by Category

The graph below shows the average value of awards by each of the categories in 2011 i.e. Motor, Employer’s Liability and Public Liability. The average award of €21,339 in 2011 was 4.2% lower than in 2010. The Board’s caseload volume can vary year to year reflecting changes in the economic environment and the flow of new claims. This, in turn, causes variations in the average award from year to year. In 2011, a reduction in the overall average award is largely due to a reduction in the proportion of work related claims - typically of higher value - and reduced loss of earnings, given lower salaries across the economy.

During 2011, and in line with earlier years, awards in the Employer’s Liability category were highest at €27,102 reflecting the often more serious and complex nature of the injuries sustained in such accidents. The figures below reflect the 9,833 awards made of which 7,521 were Motor cases, 1,482 were Public Liability and 830 were Employer’s Liability cases.

Range of Awards – Highest/lowest awards

The lowest and highest awards are shown in the graph below. The Board processes claims ranging from very low severity to very serious cases. The highest award to date was made in 2011.

Assessment Timeline

InjuriesBoard.ie is obliged, under the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003, to assess claims within 9 months of the Respondent (those from whom compensation is sought) consenting to the Board’s process. The 2011 results for InjuriesBoard.ie show that the average time to make an assessment was 7.2 months; this was achieved as a result of the Board’s continuing commitment to efficiency and on-going process review.

Cost savings

In 2011, InjuriesBoard.ie delivered the current level of compensation at a delivery cost of 8.8% as against 46% under the litigation system prior to the Board’s establishment, as identified in the Motor Insurance Advisory Board Report (2004). The Board’s delivery costs are not based on a percentage of the amount of the award but are predominantly fixed fees for Claimants (€45) and Respondents (€850).

In 2011, 5,875 awards were accepted by customers of InjuriesBoard.ie resulting in €122.71 million of compensation. The relevant figures for 2007, 2008 and 2009 are outlined in the table below. The volume of accepted awards is reasonably consistent over the past 5 years. The value of compensation is impacted by the mix of claims received i.e. whether Motor, Public place or workplace, in addition to the severity of the injuries and financial losses within each of these categories.

While the Board made 9,833 awards in 2011, for the purposes of calculating direct savings, the Board only include, in our evaluation, the awards which are accepted by both Claimants and Respondents.

Total Number and Value of InjuriesBoard.ie Accepted Award

The table below shows the actual InjuriesBoard.ie delivery costs of €10.86m and compares it to the estimated overhead cost of delivering the same award value under the litigation system (46%) i.e. €56.45m. The resulting savings are shown in the bottom row. Direct InjuriesBoard.ie savings in 2011 were €45.59m.

InjuriesBoard.ie Delivery Costs and Estimated Cost Saving

Previous Years

• Statistics 2011
• Statistics 2010
• Statistics 2009
• Statistics 2008
• Statistics 2007