James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)

I am the next speaker. I thank all the witnesses for being here. We have done a number of engagements with a very broad range of companies, stakeholders and representative bodies and the witnesses' input here is very welcome as part of our work.

The reason we are doing this is to platform how important the concerns are among the public regarding the huge cost increases in terms of doing business in Ireland. I have been really interested in each of the individual contributions today. I am very interested in the Alliance for Insurance Reform and its membership of 48 organisations. Given the depth of difference between each individual company across the various sectors, from the road hauliers to Sport Ireland to Play Activity and Leisure Ireland, we have been shown a very small snippet of the broad range of people in the 48 organisations who are badly impacted by such huge increases in the cost of insurance in this country.

I want to get an understanding of how businesses have been able to cope with it. I appreciate that in many cases they have not been able to do so, and they have closed down. I wonder whether we are giving this enough attention at Government level. As policymakers, as backbench TDs in government, as Opposition TDs and as Senators, the members of this committee need to bring the witnesses' message back to the Minister and to the Department. That will certainly happen after today's meeting.

I want to get an insight. The 74% increase in public employer liability premiums, according to the data the witnesses have provided, is catastrophic. Could they tell me a little more about that? They might provide an insight from their members on their conversations with the insurance companies about this matter. Will they comment on the lack of alternatives, perhaps, and the lack of competition in the sector? I would like to get a read on that first and then I will move onto my next question.