Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I compliment Deputy McGuinness, his team and the officials for their work. I shiver when I see a report or inquiry, with 71 recommendations - seven recommendations would be enough for action, and if we acted on five, three or four we would be doing all right.

The Association of British Insurance, ABI, which represents the views of the UK's insurance industry, stated that the average price paid for comprehensive car insurance in the fourth quarter of 2016 had increased by 4.9% on the previous year, the highest ever increase in England. In Ireland, there is a industrial problem of collusion across the insurance industry. What do people outside of the House think of us in here? They watch us all week and there is a frenzy in the media about scandals, intrigue, evasion, deception and God knows what. This is disgraceful. Some people tell me I have a good turn of phrase, but I do not have the words to describe what is going on.

I listened to Deputies McGuinness and Murphy speak earlier. We all have the same experiences every day of the week. Insurance costs have increased by 70%. Insurance companies are reckless and careless. Just when we came out of a recovery, they were mundane enough for a couple of years. I have been business for 32 years and know all about the cost of insurance. The insurance companies decided, systematically, to jack up prices three years ago. The fools keep paying because they have no choice. One has to have insurance to be on the road. There are uninsured drivers on the road because they cannot get insurance.

Deputy McGuinness referred to the book of quantum, judges and barristers - Deputy O'Callaghan is not here. The fat cats get fatter. There are payouts for whiplash and everything else. It is a disgusting racket.

We heard that people who drive taxis to cater for people with disabilities have been turned down for insurance. I have one myself and sponsored voluntary organisations. The system is obviously very corrupt. My insurance costs went up by over 40% and I got less cover.

Deputy Murphy mentioned young people. 17 year olds have to have 12 driving lessons, which I welcome, and then pass their driving tests but cannot get insurance. They are criminalised before they go on the road. It is not acceptable. I want to see action.

Deputy Collins mentioned a 2002 report which made 61 recommendations. A report in 2005 made 45 recommendations. That is a total of 106 recommendations, none of which were acted on. We do not want reports; we want action. We want to allow returned immigrants, those who want to go to work and those who want to play games in social clubs and community organisations to be able to get insurance. It is crippling the economy.

Many members of the Road Haulage Association have moved their businesses to England, Northern Ireland or elsewhere in Europe. They had no choice because of the cost of insurance premiums. The costs for a haulage company in my area increased by 200% and another's costs rose from €50,000 to €120,000 without any claims. It is a licence to print money.

If such people were robbing people they would be arrested and locked up. It is robbery without violence. I have experience of it. There were community employment schemes in Newcastle, Ballymacarbry and Ballybacon, but insurance costs increased by €1,000, which meant that the costs for the 15 participants increased from €50 to €150. But for the contact of Deputy Collins and BHP insurance the matter could not have been addressed. It gave me a quote that was €1,000 less. The company I had been with for more than 20 years, which we thought looked after us and with which we had a good relationship, said it wanted to match the quote. I will not say what I told it to do with the quote. We got the premium from BHP. That is an example of indecent, unashamed and corrupt theft from communities and young people. Anybody and everybody is fair game for such companies.

People driving a car, van, truck or tractor or a person in a motorised wheelchair are affected. It is outrageous robbery. It affects businesses right across the country. The Competition Authority is toothless, useless and fruitless. I mean that. It does not get involved with the issue. When companies were taken over, Quinn was blamed. I saluted Quinn. In fairness to the Fianna Fáil Government, it supported Quinn. When Fine Gael came into power, it dumped him down the river. We are supposed to be paying for Quinn and Setanta. We are being fooled.

The people expect the Legislature to do something for them. We are doing nothing. We are compiling reports with 71 recommendations. Serious legislation must be introduced. Insurance is one thing and health and safety is another. The NCT has to be paid for. We need some modicum of fair play.

Taxis over ten years of age have been put off the road even though they have passed the NCT and another test for luggage and everything else. The same is now happening to other cars that are over ten years old. It is a cosy cartel that stinks to high heaven, with the complicity of Government agencies. The Government is rubbing its hands and doing nothing about it.

No action on the report is expected for 18 months. A lot of people will be out of business or will lose their jobs and community organisations will have closed down by then. The courts will be allowed to carry on in a merry-go-round, revolving door fashion. People are given free legal aid to take on cases. Insurance companies are sitting outside of the courts. In my case, several claims were settled outside of the court and the insurance companies did not contest them.

It is bordering on total and naked corruption and it is disgusting in the extreme when, as I stated, a company insuring a voluntary organisation could jack the price up by €1,000. When we get a quote of less than €1,000, it says it will match it. It will come down further even.

There is then the ads on the television about the neighbour or friend "with his hand in my pocket" but these insurance companies have their hands in our pockets. They dig until there is nothing left in the pocket. They leave holes in the pockets of the people. The people are downtrodden. Older people who cannot get insurance for their cars to bring their wives to get their pensions or to the doctor or anything else out in the country are penalised altogether. It is totally outrageous and we are doing nothing about it. No disrespect to the people who gave all their time and work to it, but this report will not be acted on. There are too many items listed in it anyway. It will be filed away like all the other reports. We will have to build a new place for the reports that will be piled up instead of doing up the Chamber in the Seanad. We are the laughing stock of Europe and a laughing stock to the people, but the people are not laughing any more because they are so angry with us for being so useless in defending them from daylight robbery, scams and con artists. They are literally robbing us and having a good time at it and then sponsoring charities to satisfy their consciences. It is disgusting.

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