MIAB report expected to be critical of motor insurance industry

The Irish Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) has promised to release two long-awaited reports on motor and personal injury claims as soon as possible.

A DETE spokeswoman said the release of the Motor Insurance Advisory Board (MIAB) report had been held up by the Easter break.

"The Minister [Noel Treacy] received the report the Tuesday before last and it has gone to the printers," she said.

"We don't have an exact release date because it depends when we get it back."

The report is expected to be critical of the motor insurance industry.

Treacy said the government group dealing with the setting up of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) was also close to completing its report.

The group was established to examine the legal and legislative implications of setting up the board, which has been a bone of contention between the insurance and legal sectors for some time.

Treacy said the group's work had taken longer than expected, but was nearly complete.

"When I receive the report, I'll consider it as a matter of urgency and will bring proposals to government thereafter," he said.

Treacy said the PIAB would be set up as quickly as possible following the release of the report.

Meanwhile, Treacy also said he planned to meet the Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) and major insurers to discuss the difficulties in obtaining cover experienced by some businesses, particularly in the transport industry.

"I'll be encouraging them to develop, in consultation with their clients, innovative strategies for controlling risk," he said.

"It's my hope such strategies will contribute towards a moderation of prices."

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