Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of the huge burden of insurance costs and the crisis is not just in motor insurance but is also in business insurance, as we predicted. There are many causes of the high cost of insurance but one of them is the issue of claims harvesting. It has become dominant in the market recently. These are ordinary people, not solicitors, who set up websites giving the impression that they are solicitors and they tout for business in personal injury claims. They then sell on that information and data to lawyers who pick up the claims. It is unlawful and the Law Society has closed down 14 websites in the last three years and taken two major prosecutions to the High Court in respect of the leading websites. It is still not enough. We need robust regulation and reform in this sector. When I ask the Minister, he says it is a grey area but these grey areas are pushing up costs on businesses, motorists and on home insurance. What is the Government going to do to get to grips, finally, with this issue? The Government has been well aware of it for the last number of years.

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