Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 40, 58, 67 and 317 together. The working group on the cost of motor insurance, chaired by the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, completed its report in December 2016.  The report, which was approved by the Government on 10 January 2017 and subsequently published, contains 33 recommendations and 71 actions. These are detailed in an action plan with agreed timelines for implementation covering six main themes, namely, protecting the consumer, improving data availability, improving the personal injuries claims environment, reducing the costs in the claims process, reducing insurance fraud and uninsured driving, and promoting road safety and reducing collisions.

The recommendations include actions to: address the lack of transparency in the claims environment through the establishment of a national claims information database which will be located in the Central Bank; provide enhanced guidance in how to determine compensation for personal injuries claims through the establishment of a personal injuries commission; address the increasing level of uninsured driving through the establishment of a fully functioning database which will allow gardaí to check insurance compliance through the use of technology such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition, ANPR; and address the issue of suspected fraud through the establishment of a database, funded by industry but held by an independent body, which will take into account data protection concerns. A number of the actions are already underway and I am confident that all of the report's 71 actions will be implemented by the end of 2018, with 45 due for completion this year.

While there is no silver bullet to reduce the cost of insurance, co-operation and commitment between all parties can deliver fairer premiums for consumers without unnecessary delay. This will lead to greater stability in the pricing of motor insurance and will help prevent the volatility that we have seen in the market in the past. It should also better facilitate potential new entrants to the market.

The working group will continue to meet in 2017 as the project enters its implementation phase.

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