Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yes. The figure is getting worse. The witnesses have already been asked a number of questions beyond the MIBI's remit, but we are all aware of the personal injury guidelines and the PIAB. Those changes should probably have been made much sooner. Regarding insurance in general, we are on the correct trajectory, but we should have reached this point earlier and there are still more moves to be made. The Government has a part to play.

We have all spoken to young men who have said that paying insurance puts them under severe pressure. I do not know how that cohort can pay for a car while also paying for accommodation and the increases in the cost of living we have all experienced over the past year and a half or longer. This issue must be included in the mix. Work must be done to ensure premiums for these people drop. In other industries, there is a tipping point whereby if you know someone who is not paying, you are more likely not to pay as well. Most people still want to pay insurance and make sure they are covered, but we must deal with the cost and the fact that insurance companies have made a fortune in recent years. While matters have moved in the correct direction, the companies have not done a sufficient amount of the heavy lifting. That is where we are at this point in time.

I expected the uninsured figures to be an overestimation.

I am shocked. Mr. Fitzgerald stated that the MIBI does not have access to Garda information in respect of those people who have been caught.