Ms Linda Murray:

I thank Deputy Michael McGrath for asking me to speak and I am honoured to be here. This is not something I normally do. I run Huckleberry's Den in Navan, County Meath, and I also represent 60 businesses which have all come together to form an organisation called Play Activity and Leisure Ireland, PALI. We had to form that organisation with a common goal to lobby for fair insurance for our members. We are all in the leisure sector and we include play centres, trampoline parks, pet farms, bowling alleys, karting tracks and basically facilities where families can have fun. It is something that Ireland definitely does not want to lose.

We cannot get fair insurance and in many cases we cannot get any insurance. Our premiums have risen by between 379% and more than 500% in the past five years. My insurance has risen by 1,040% in the past six years. Incredibly, our premiums far outweigh our claims. As an organisation, we have paid €5 million over the past five years in premiums. We have had claims and reserves of just over €1 million. In the past five years, only €200,000 of that €5 million has been paid in claims in our sector. This means €4.8 million is sitting there while I cannot get insurance and our group cannot get fair insurance.

When I opened my business six years ago, my premium was €2,500. Last year, it was €16,500. I have been told that I cannot get insurance but I have been advised if I were to get it, I should expect to pay €26,000. That is just a "little" increase of 1,040% since I opened six years ago. This is my livelihood.