Latest news with #JudicialCouncil
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Government unveils plan to tackle insurance costs
A new plan from the Government is aiming to tackle rising insurance premiums, with plans for a transparency code and measures to boost competitiveness. The Action Plan for Insurance Reform contains 26 actions across the Departments of Finance , Justice, and Enterprise, and has identified 10 priorities that will have the biggest impact on insurance affordability, transparency and availability. It builds on the measures announced in 2020, and will cover up to 2029. Amont the six key themes of the plan are transparency, competitiveness, fraud and innovation. The Department of Finance is set to work with the insurance sector to bring in a Transparency Code, while there are also plans to strengthen the powers and remit of the Injuries Resolution Board. Tougher penalties for insurance fraud are also being considered, and measures to reduce the number of uninsured drivers are being examined. READ MORE The plan comes barely a fortnight after Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has bowed to pressure on a plan by the Judicial Council to hike personal injury award guidelines by almost 17 per cent, confirming that he will not ask the Oireachtas to rubber stamp the judiciary's proposed tweak to payouts. 'In a rapidly changing global environment, we must place an unrelenting focus on enhancing our competitiveness and controlling the controllables. This means ensuring the cost of doing business is not prohibitive for our SMEs,' said Tánaiste Simon Harris. 'It is vital that Ireland does what it can to support businesses to thrive. This new Action Plan builds on the strong insurance reforms to-date which have led to improvements in transparency and have seen personal injury awards reduce. By Government working together, we can deliver tangible progress in this next phase of insurance reform so that the benefits are felt by both businesses and consumers.' The insurance industry broadly welcomed the plan, with Brokers Ireland calling it 'a meaningful opportunity to build a more affordable, transparent, and competitive insurance market in Ireland.' 'The IRB has a critical role to play in lowering the cost of insurance and improving the speed and fairness of outcomes,' said Hazel Rock, head of insurance services at the group. 'Making its awards binding in more cases and encouraging default mediation would represent a step change in how injury claims are managed in Ireland,' she added. The Alliance for Insurance Reform meanwhile urged immediate reductions in premiums across the board. 'Policyholders should not have to wait a day longer to see meaningful and sustained reductions in their premiums and any attempt to use today's action plan as reason not to pass on existing savings, must be pushed back strongly against by government,' it said in a statement.
Reuters
18-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
California court system adopts rule on AI use
July 18 (Reuters) - California on Friday became the largest U.S. state court system to embrace policies governing the use of generative artificial intelligence by judges and court employees. California courts that do not ban generative AI outright must develop AI-related regulations by September 1 under a rule adopted by the California Judicial Council, the policy-making body for the state's court system. The rule, opens new tab was developed by an artificial intelligence task force established by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero in 2024. Courts that allow generative AI in court-related work may adopt a model AI policy already released by the task force in February or modify it to address their specific goals by September. The rule 'strikes the best balance between uniformity and flexibility,' task force chair and state appellate judge Brad Hill told the council on Friday. Each court's AI policy must address the 'confidentiality, privacy, bias, safety, and security risks posed by generative AI systems," according to the task force's report on the proposal. The policies must also address the 'supervision, accountability, transparency, and compliance when using those systems.' The court policies must prohibit entering confidential information into public generative AI systems, prohibit unlawful discrimination through AI programs, and require court staff and judicial officers to 'take reasonable steps to verify the accuracy of the material.' Staff and judicial officers would also have to disclose their use of AI if the final version of any written, visual, or audio work provided to the public was generated entirely by AI. Hill said the task force did not want a rule that specified how courts can and cannot use generative AI because the technology is evolving quickly. California has the nation's largest state court system with five million cases, 65 courts, and approximately 1,800 judges. A number of other state have already adopted generative AI rules or policies, including Illinois, Delaware, and Arizona. New York, Georgia, and Connecticut are among the states currently assessing the use of generative AI within their courts. Read more: Illinois top court say judges and lawyers can use AI, with limits California court system to decide on AI rule
Jordan News
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Jordan News
27% of Water Flowing into Jordan 'Lost' - Jordan News
The Ministry of Water and Irrigation and the Judicial Council held a national workshop on Saturday to discuss ways to protect water resources in the Jordan Valley and enhance national efforts in facing the growing challenges in the water sector. اضافة اعلان During the opening of the workshop, Minister of Water and Irrigation, Eng. Raed Abu Saud, highlighted the major challenges facing Jordan's water sector. He stressed the importance of addressing water challenges, the increasing impacts of climate change, and the repeated violations of water resources, all of which pose serious obstacles to the sector's efforts to provide water to citizens and farmers. He explained that the National Water Strategy includes strengthening effective management of available resources and working to improve water consumption efficiency—whether through technological projects or in partnership with national and international institutions. The minister also praised the role of the Public Prosecution, the Judicial Council, and both public and private institutions in supporting the ministry's efforts and enforcing the law to ensure the protection and preservation of water resources for future generations. For his part, the Attorney General of Amman, Dr. Hassan Al-Abdallat, emphasized that water security and the protection of water resources is a shared responsibility that requires the concerted efforts of all parties. This begins with raising public awareness about the importance of conserving water sources, stopping violations, and reporting offenders. He added that these efforts also include the role of judicial officers and relevant employees in tracking violations, and the pivotal role of the Public Prosecution in apprehending violators and referring them to the judiciary to achieve both general and specific deterrence. Dr. Al-Abdallat emphasized that these measures aim to protect vital water resources and ensure their sustainability for future generations, underlining the need for everyone to fulfill their roles in safeguarding the nation's water security. Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Judicial Council, Dr. Ali Al-Masimi, praised the constructive cooperation over the past three years, noting that enforcing the rule of law and fully coordinating with all executive, legislative, and judicial bodies contributes to the development of the criminal justice system and the achievement of justice. Secretary-General of the Jordan Valley Authority, Eng. Hisham Al-Hayasa, outlined the authority's role in water management and agricultural development in the Jordan Valley. He pointed out that the valley's water system suffers from a water loss rate of up to 27% of the total flow. This includes physical losses due to leakage and administrative losses due to illegal water use, which calls for intensified efforts to enforce laws and monitor water resource usage. He expressed appreciation for the efforts of all ministries and national institutions, and also praised the collaboration between the judiciary and the relevant ministries, as well as international partners like the Water Conservation Project for their continuous support of this important workshop. He looked forward to practical programs that would enhance water security and sustainable development. The workshop included an in-depth discussion on the challenges facing the water system, the Authority's plans to bolster national efforts, and the importance of joint cooperation among various national institutions to ensure effective policy implementation—particularly enforcing laws to confront the increasing attacks on water facilities amid rising demand for water resources.
The Journal
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Judges' recommendation to hike personal injury awards will not be implemented by the government
TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has informed the Dáil that the government does not intend to implement recommendations from judges to hike personal injury awards by almost 20 per cent. The recommendation to increase personal injury payouts by 17% came earlier this year from the Judicial Council, with the rationale being to raise payouts in line with inflation. The issue was raised today during Leaders' Questions in the Dáil by Social Democrats acting leader Cian O'Callaghan, who asked the Taoiseach for clarity. O'Callaghan said the proposed changes are 'reckless' and would lead to increased insurance premiums for people, sports clubs and small businesses. He argued that Ireland already has much higher personal injury awards than other countries, stating that they can be four times higher than in the UK. Advertisement In response, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told O'Callaghan: 'Don't believe everything you read in the newspapers'. He said the Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan will be laying the recommendations of the Judicial Council before the Oireachtas, but that he will not be seeking their approval. O'Callaghan said he welcomed this clarification from the Taoiseach. The Taoiseach then said that there will be implications for the Personal Injuries Assessment Board due to the decision not to implement the recommendations. He said this could lead to consequences in the courts, and in cases, and may ultimately undermine the work of the assessment board. 'So we do need to reflect on this. I get the short-term politics…but we need as an Oireachtas to deal with this more soberly,' he said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Minister for Justice reportedly planning to ignore proposal to hike personal injury awards by 17%
Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan is reportedly planning to ignore a controversial proposal from the State's judiciary to hike personal injury awards by almost 17 per cent. RTÉ New reported on Wednesday that the Minister will inform the Cabinet sub-committee on insurance reform this afternoon that he will not bring a resolution seeking their approval by the Oireachtas. The move is likely to force the Judicial Council to reconsider its position. A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice was not immediately in a position to comment when contacted by The Irish Times. READ MORE 'The government has made this decision not for the benefit of insurance companies but for policyholders. In terms of liability insurance for businesses, sports, community and voluntary groups we have seen substantial decreases in the volume of claims and the size of awards,' said the Alliance for Insurance Reform in a statement. [ Plan to hike personal injury awards will lead to higher premiums, warns Aviva Opens in new window ] It added: 'This was a grassroots campaign by local business, sports, community and voluntary organisations who were deeply concerned at the proposed increase in the context of ongoing cost of doing businesses challenges and wrote in their hundreds to Government Ministers expressing their concerns. It is important, and very welcome, that these concerns were listened to.' More to follow.
