Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister for Finance is concerned that there are suggestions of unfair loading elderly people's premiums, in particular, and he will continue to seek further information to see if this is a widespread issue. In the context of the general fall in the price of insurance premiums, it would be, in the Minister's view, unacceptable if this is the case. Accordingly, departmental officials who have already engaged with Insurance Ireland on this topic will maintain the contact over the coming weeks.

I have been contacted by a number of older people also who have found that their premiums have been loaded and they have been given different quotes from different companies. I always suggest to them that they should seek quotations from different companies. Some of those people have come back and told me that they have managed to get a lower premium. I will convey the Deputy's concerns to the Minister.

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