Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

One of the key recommendations was to give an individualised breakdown of premiums to ensure there would be transparency to this. The idea that one would say this is what was charged last year and this is what will be charged this year is not on. We can all dig out our premium quote from last year. It was about trying to make the industry justify how it was charging for motor as well as fleet insurance. I informed this committee of one haulier whose premiums went from €32,000 to €120,000 in the space of three years. In anybody’s book, that is somebody who is being fleeced by an industry which is operating as a cartel.

The Minister of State claimed I was wrong. Recommendation No. 1 is not implemented and has actually been blocked. It is the same with recommendation No. 2. Recommendation No. 3 has been blocked by the insurance industry. For recommendation No. 6, the protocol does not exist and it is just about putting something on a website. Recommendation No. 8 regarding the protocol for policyholders being notified of claims made against them before settlement again is being blocked. Five of the first eight recommendations have all been blocked by the insurance industry.

We will hear the Minister of State put a spin on that, suggesting everything is much better for consumers. It is definitely okay for the industry because it has a Minister of State not standing up to it. He referred to the issue of fraud. It is a real issue, but where is he on it? He makes statements on radio and in this committee that he does not agree with the recommendation to set up an insurance industry funded Garda fraud squad but he will do it anyway. That is not what is needed. We need serious action with a publicly funded squad. We need to let the Garda Commissioner know that the Government stands 100% square behind him and make the resources available to stamp out fraud. We need to deal with the real issues which are these recommendations which are over a year old. The Minister of State is completely out of touch with what is happening and is not playing hardball with the insurance industry.