Ms Tara Buckley:

We have been campaigning about insurance costs because they are so significant for our members and they are running out of control. They are completely unsustainable. A couple of shops have already closed because of this. Most of these stores cannot shop around for insurance. They have only one place to go and their premiums increase every year. They have to pay excesses as well. We have made many suggestions to the working group on insurance costs. It has promised a second report on employers' liability and occupiers' liability. That list is in our statement and we hope this committee will support us in this. We told the working group that radical action is required and we have to make some hard choices. There is no business owner who does not believe that they need insurance for catastrophic incidents and if something happens and they are at fault, they want the person affected to be compensated. Unfortunately, we pay huge sums of money on minor trips and slips, bruises, and soft tissue injuries without any challenge. It seems to us that there are exaggerated and sometimes false claims. Money appears to be handed out too easily. It is causing serious heartache for business owners in respect of costs and implications for their business.