Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Addressing the two-year provision seems to be most obvious and easy quick fix. Nobody would get away with coming in 23 months and 30 days after an incident to make a claim in any other business or industry. A week, a fortnight or 30 days would be adequate.

The committee did not appreciate the lack of competition. There are technically 24 operators in the motor insurance market but, in reality, there are six. We are being told that in Dublin - I presume it is the same in the rest of the country - that there is a predominant single insurer. The awards, legal costs, the number of fraudulent claims are also issues. An award of €90,000 for a dislocated thumb is an issue but I am not sure it reflects the injury involved. Insurance companies highlight the lack of predictability in claims. Different courts award different amounts for the same or similar injuries.

I thank both delegations for their written submissions in advance of the meeting. We need the anecdotal instances of pubs without a claim for ten or 15 years being declined by their existing insurer or who are facing massive increases with no transparency and no indication as to why. The PIAB and court figures have not changed. In theory, it is down to the insurance companies making money out of the pubs to cover other losses or many claims being settled for higher amounts than they previously either in terms of the volume of claims or the awards. Do the two vintners have other stories or evidence that they would like to share with the committee? The committee should write a letter to the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, outlining our concerns about business insurance with particular reference to the vintners, both rural and urban, together with copies of the two submissions and a transcript of the meeting. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Is there anything further the delegations would like to add for the committee and the Minister of State?