Data official contacts Quinn Direct

The Data Protection Commissioner has written to leading insurance company Quinn Direct over a newspaper's claims that serving and former gardaí provided the company with privileged Garda information on road traffic crashes.

A spokesman for the commissioner confirmed that his office was in communication with the company.

However, he stressed that matters were at an early stage and this did not mean an investigation would take place.

Quinn Direct yesterday confirmed it intends to sue the Sunday Tribune over allegations that it made payments to claimants' solicitors in return for settling quickly and that it recruited serving gardaí to investigate and settle claims.

In a statement, the company said it had instructed its solicitors, Mason Hayes & Curran, to initiate legal proceedings against the newspaper for libel. It said the memo purporting to come from a company executive, on which the newspaper based its allegations, was "bogus".

"This purported memo was the basis for extraordinary allegations as regards unlawful and unethical behaviour by Quinn Direct, which are untrue. Accordingly, we will be actively seeking redress from the Sunday Tribune for the damage caused," the statement continued.

It is understood the company claims the memo, which was reproduced in the newspaper, differs from real company memos in a number of respects: it does not contain an address or incorporation details; there are no specific addressees; the exact date is not stated, only the month and year; the senior manager alleged to have signed the document did not hold the position stated at the time; and the signature used is a facsimile of one used on general policy documentation.

However, the Sunday Tribune has said it stands over its story and is sure of the document's authenticity.

Quinn Direct says it has no reason to believe that any ex-garda on its claims panel accessed information from Garda computers in relation to company claims. It also denies employing serving members of the force.