The former president of the High Court of Ireland is calling for changes to the country’s data protection laws to further cut down insurance fraud.
During a seminar at Lloyd’s, Justice Nicolas Kearns told underwriters and brokers that changes to Irish claims laws are reducing fraud and the rising levels of awards. However, the top judge said that more needs to be done.
“We need to see better sharing of data in Ireland,” Kearns said. “Telematics for instance, in vehicles is seen as available to all parties in the UK but it is not the case in Ireland.”
“We need clarification of data protection rules and it may require a change in the law,” he added.
According to Kearns, there have been moves to set up a data repository of uninsured drivers but it is “moving slowly.”
“The view from the government is that any repository would need to be under the control of a public body, in this case the police rather than the insurance industry, which does not bode well,” he said.
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