There has been no increase in the number of personal injury cases coming before the courts, new figures show.
The figures from the Courts Service show there has also been a 19% drop in the total amounts awarded.
8,900 personal injury cases came before the courts last year, which is around the same as in 2017.
The Annual Report from the Courts Service shows there's been a drop of 19% in the total amounts awarded in High Court cases, and a 23% drop in the average amount awarded in each case (now down to just over €350,000).
The average award for medical negligence cases in the High Court last year was just over €1 million, a reduction of nearly 50% when compared to 2017.
RE: Insurance: The Chief Justice says the “objective figures” which show no increase in the number of personal injury cases coming before the courts, and a 19% decrease in the amounts being paid out, should be considered in the current debate.
— Shane Beatty (@ShaneBeattyNews) July 8, 2019
Helen Priestley, head of information with the Courts Service, said the lower courts have seen some increases in amounts awarded.
She explained: "We're also saying that in respect of awards generally, we can see a reduction - but in the higher courts.
"In the lower courts, particularly in the Circuit Court, we can still see that there have been increases in relation to what we might call softer tissue [injuries]... those type of injuries."
The Justice Minister, meanwhile, said he doesn't accept claims from the insurance industry that premiums are rising due to court awards.
Charlie Flanagan argued: "If somebody has an accident, and if that accident is somebody else's fault, then the claimant is entitled to compensation - that's the whole basis of insurance.
"However, I believe the insurance industry must do more in terms of transparency, in terms of accountability, in terms of justifying what has been an extraordinary increase in premiums that I don't accept is down to awards."
Other figures released in the new report show over 95% of sentences in rape cases were for over five years, a 38% increase in people seeking emergency barring orders, and a 52% decrease in new debt repossession cases coming before the courts.
There's been a 32% increase in child protection applications, while the report also shows a 17% increase being recorded in more serious theft and robbery charges brought in the Circuit Court.
In the area of property and debt law, there was a 52% decrease in new possession cases year on year, a 20% reduction in possession orders made, and a 16% reduction in bankruptcy applications.
