New Bill Will Stop Lying under Oath for Personal Insurance Gain
Aontú Leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín as part of the Regional Group has submitted the Perjury and Related Offences Bill to the Dáil. This Bill will be debated in the Dáil this week. According to An Teachta Tóibín;
“Drivers and Small to Medium sized Businesses are being stuffed across the country by spiralling insurance costs. Business people have told me that their insurance has increased from €2,000 to €15,000 and even in one case from €50,000 to €130,000. These hikes are closing businesses daily. Whole sectors especially the those related to children’s play and adventure sports are in danger of closure”.
“There are a number of reasons for this. High legal costs, insurance companies not challenging claims and extremely high pay outs for minor injuries all add to the increased costs. However the fact that perjury or lying in court is extremely difficult to stop is also pushing costs up. Some see insurance as a honey pot or an opportunity to make big money. Some unfortunately lie to achieve that money. But its not a victimless crime. False and exaggerated claims push up significantly insurance costs for everyone else”.
“This Bill will help bring this to an end. Placing perjury on the statute books is not just about penalising those who commit perjury, it is about preventing those from doing it in the first place. Tough sanctions may make someone think twice about lying and diverting the course of justice”.
“This Bill, initiated by former Independent Senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh, received cross party support when it passed in the Seanad. The Government have included it in the current Programme for Government. Now is the time to action these commitments. We need to pass this Bill without any further delay, the financial consequences of perjury and fraudulent claims can be devastating to people’s lives and businesses. In some cases, resulting in people losing their livelihoods”.
