Over €3m in public liability claims paid out in 2023 - Kilkenny Live

Compensation of €3.32 million was paid out on behalf of Kilkenny County Council in 2023 in public liability claims with two ‘exceptional settlements totalling almost €2 million’.

In total there were 44 public liability claims including 14 ‘slip and trip’ footpath claims adding up to €1.182 million. This included one ‘abnormally large’ payout according to the council spokesperson.

In a statement issued to the Kilkenny People the local authority also said that ‘all insurance claims are managed by our insurers’.

“All claims are thoroughly investigated by our insurers before any settlement is reached. The new insurance regulations and the impact of new legistation will reduce the claims going forward,” he said.

“A significant number of claims are settled with no cost to the insurance fund and with no financial loss to the council.”

The spokesperson added that the total payout in 2023 on public liability claims amounted to €3.3 million.

“This included two exceptional settlement totalling almost €2million. The total number of settlements on slips and trips was similar to previous years.”

The spokesperson also added that ‘2023 would have seen an increase in the number of cases closed resulting from the impact of Covid’.

Figures obtained by The Kilkenny People reveal that in 2022 there were 32 public liability claims with a total payout of €1.23 million. This included 12 ‘slip and trip’ incidents on footpaths with €516,000 paid out on behalf of Kilkenny County Council.

The figures also show that in 2018 there were 50 public liability claims with €604,000 paid out in claims, in 2019 this figure dropped to 42 public liability claims with €363,000 paid out in claims and the number of claims and monies paid out dropped significantly in 2020, which was largely due to the outbreak of the pandemic.

The spokesperson added that it is expected that the amounts paid out are expected to drop over the coming years.

“The impact of the insurance reform legislation is not yet reflected in the settlements as many of these incidents date back a number of years.”

The Action Plan for Insurance Reform was launched on in December 2020. The Action Plan sets out 66 actions for reform to bring down the costs for consumers and business and to introduce more competition into the market.

Key actions delivered to date include rebalancing the duty of care, via amendments to the Occupiers Liability Act 1995.