MANY personal injury claims should be heard by an independent tribunal rather than by the courts, according to a new report.

The report, presented to the Minister of State for Science, Commerce and Technology, Mr Pat Rabbitte, urges a series of measures to combat the so-called "compo culture", estimated to cost over £400 million a year.

Compiled by IBEC, ICTU, the Department of Enterprise and Employment and the Health and Safety Authority, it follows a report by consultants Deloitte and Touche, commissioned by Mr Rabbitte.

The joint group recommends's that the tribunal should be "informal and not adversarial". It would be modelled on the Employment's Appeals Tribunal with representatives drawn from business and the trade unions.

It recommends that the tribunal should begin by dealing only with workplace accidents. If successful, it could then be used for motoring and public liability claims.

It also calls for any awards to bed tax free as well as tax free status for any, ex-gratia payments made at the workplace but registered with the tribunal.

Claimants using the tribunal would also be banned from using, the courts for the same claim either at the same time or later.

The group also recommends a code of conduct for solicitors in relation to advertising and that, claimants are made aware of all possible costs.