The CEO of fast-food restaurant chain Supermac's believes there is no reason why people seeking compensation in personal injury cases should not be named.
Pat McDonagh has previously hit out at the system in Ireland on insurance claims and said the issuing of personal injury awards represents the "greatest white collar crime in the country".
It comes as Kerry County Council faces compensation claims of up to an estimated €13.4m, the majority of which relate to trips and falls.
Kerry Councillor Michael O’Shea wants the claimants to be named and says taxpayers deserve to know the details.
Mr McDonagh echoed those calls when speaking to Newstalk Breakfast yesterday, agreeing that individuals making claims on people's insurance for falls should be 'named and shamed'.
"There isn't any reason why they shouldn't be published, there isn't any law to prevent it," he said.
"If the claim is genuine, the legal representatives shouldn't have any difficulty in publishing [the names] either.
"On the other hand, they will face a difficulty if the claim isn't genuine and if it's one of numerous claims that that claimant may have."
He acknowledged that there are genuine claimants out there and said such individuals "shouldn't have any fear of publication".
"Where the solicitors try and prevent the publication of claimants' names and addresses, they do it for their own reasons," Mr McDonagh stated.
"Maybe the claimant has had other claims in the past, maybe the solicitor doesn't want the insured party to engage with the alleged injured party to settle a claim without gaining any legal costs.
"What I have found in my experience is that everything is preferred to be kept very secretive and also they don't want their own reputation damaged.
The Supermac's boss said he has had experiences with serial claimants in the past, including a 16-year-old with six previous claims and another person with 15.
Pandemic Unemployment Payment
Echoing comments he made in 2020 about some of the negative impacts of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment on businesses, Mr McDonagh said the subsidy "was an issue last year and is still one now."
According to him, "up to 40,000 claimants" are living abroad at the moment and still receiving the PUP.
"There's another number of people and it doesn't suit them to come back to work, they would probably prefer the lifestyle now that they have," he said.
"So therefore, [the PUP] is part of the problem, it's not the entire problem but it's part of the problem and this is going to have to be addressed.
"There's a lot of people in the hotel and hospitality industry who realise now that there is a major problem, and it's not just Ireland, it's right across Europe."
