Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

I understood insurance companies would not pay out on a burglary claim unless the burglary were reported to the Garda Síochána. Otherwise they would be very vulnerable to fraudulent claims.

I find it somewhat perplexing that the figures in this survey which is partial and based on a loss adjuster approach are different from those of the Garda Síochána, given that I would expect every loss adjuster's burglary report to be required, by definition and on a prudential basis, to be reported to the Garda.

On the methodology of the report, I am not clear whether the statistics are compiled using the strict legal definition of the offence of burglary. If a bicycle is taken from a front garden, some might call it a household theft case, but it is not regarded as a burglary in the Garda statistics.

See this speech in context