€1.5m in claims against Kerry council
The claims are those paid out by the county council between January 2014 and June 2016.
The main towns, Tralee and Killarney and Listowel, only came under the control of the county council in June 2014, and it is not clear if the figure released by the council includes the three towns for that six months period.
The information was sought by independent councillor Brendan Cronin who was especially interested in nailing down the locations for the claims, rather than who was involved.
There is a strong suspicion some towns and locations are the focal points for more civil claims against the council than others are — but there is no way of knowing unless the information is released, said Mr Cronin.
“I think it’s only fair we know the locations. I am not seeking the names of those involved, just the general nature of the awards.
“Are these for trips and falls, are these for car accidents and what is the location?” Mr Cronin asked.
However he has only been told that the sum was €1.54m paid out over a 30-month period.
He was also told that while the council has a risk assessment unit, monitoring hundreds of claims lodged against it, it is the insurer Irish Public Bodies which handles the settlements and they are not in a position to give the type of information per municipal district “currently”.
The council pays out €3m in insurance premiums, it also emerged.
Since the demise of the town councils, there have been a number of attempts by way of councillor motions, to elicit more detailed information from Kerry County Council about claims against it, some of which are coming before the courts.
However data protection and other reasons are given as to why the information cannot be provided.
For his part, Mr Cronin, who is mayor of Killarney this year, says he is going to continue to pursue the quest for more information.
