Mr. Donall O'Keeffe:

Thankfully, there has been a low level of exposure to catastrophic claims in Dublin. A small number of very large premises have burnt down. In those scenarios, cases were handled pretty well. In 2011, there was a big issue with flood damage. The experience of our members in that scenario depended very much on which companies they were insured with. Some companies are very thorough, professional and fair while others have sought to exploit what we consider to be loopholes and various clauses in contracts to minimise what they pay out.

While property insurance can be potentially catastrophic for a business, this is not where our concerns lie. Our concerns are centred on public liability. Public liability claims are overwhelmingly the main types of claims our members face from day to day. The property side and, in fairness, the employer liability side are generally very contained, but the public liability side is where all the pressure is.