UK-style cap on minor injury awards sought in bid to curb ‘disproportionate’ compensation

The Irish Times · Harry McGee · 2026-11-04 06:00 UTC

Minister seeks legal advice from Attorney General to see if maximum amount of compensation can be specified

The Government is to seek legal advice on imposing financial caps on the amount claimed for minor injury cases in a move to clamp down on “disproportionately high” compensation awards.

At present the average award for minor injuries settled by the Injuries Resolution Board (IRB) is almost €10,000, compared with less than €6,000 in England and Wales, where maximum caps are in place.

But only four out of 10 Irish cases are settled by the IRB with the majority being litigated in the courts where the awards and legal costs are a multiple of that.

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