The Small Firms Association (SFA) has called on the Government to overhaul the system of compensation dealing with personal injuries. According to SFA chairman Mr Kieran Crowley, an estimated £600 million (€760 million) is lost by small businesses each year in meeting the cost of personal injuries claims. "Within Ireland, employers and public liability insurance amounts to over 2 per cent of payroll costs on average. The equivalent figure in other European countries is 1 per cent," he says.

The SFA wants a new system which will eliminate "exaggerated, spurious, trivial injury claims" and which will contribute toward a substantial reduction in overhead costs. It is calling for the establishment of a personal injuries tribunal which would result in the early settlement of claims, reduce legal costs and improve the system for compensation in genuine and un-exaggerated cases of personal injury.