Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 4 May 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach

General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion

Mr. Peter Boland:

There are several elements to it. Certainly, it is a smaller part of the market. Historically, there have been fewer underwriters prepared to offer insurance. Historically, it has been a difficult market. The market is not as homogenous as the motor market, for example, so it is a little more difficult to read. I have mentioned the unpredictability of that market over the years. A lot of that has been resolved now, however. The next step, as far as we are concerned, is additional competition. Brexit had an impact. We have lost quite a few specialist underwriters, particularly those based in London, and they were not prepared to set up separate offices in Dublin. Brexit happened only quite recently but policyholders have been facing the crisis for a lot longer than that. What we are saying is that the pitch has been levelled. Circumstances have improved, so it is really a matter of selling the Irish insurance market to global operators, because it is a global business, and in the meantime ensuring the other promised reforms are followed through on.

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