Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform

Flood Risk Insurance Cover: Discussion

12:00 pm

Dr. Swenja Surminski:

It is interesting because most of the data being collected are focused on the domestic side, namely, households, and occasionally small businesses.

Most of the data collected is focused on the domestic side - that is, households - and occasionally on small businesses. That is the case in most European countries. I have heard from Insurance Ireland that it provides statistics on the number of households that have access to flood insurance, but I have not seen data on the number of businesses. That is an important point to highlight. In most countries that debate is fairly separated in that a discussion is had about home owners' need for insurance, with small businesses possibly linked to that, but access by the rest of the business community to insurance is kept fairly separate. That has been the case in-----