Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The cost of insurance is a significant for motorists, taxi drivers and the haulage industry. The cost of car insurance has seen increases of 70% between 2013 and 2016. Last year, Verona Murphy of the Irish Road Haulage Association cited that some hauliers were seeing an increase of 300%. Nevin's Taxis in the midlands, which operates six cars, has seen its insurance costs increase by €60,000 in one year. The Minister will know Tom Allen, the music promoter. His insurance costs increased from €562 in 2013 to €2,162 in 2018, with no claims.

The Minister's Department was the lead Department in respect of seven recommendations by the cost of insurance working group, which published its report in January 2017. Of those seven recommendations, not one has been completed. As a consequence of that, there are other recommendations that are unable to be completed and, as a result, we are continuing to see hard-pressed motorists being gouged for the cost of insurance. The Minister and his Government colleagues are failing to address that.

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