Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Government has been tinkering around with insurance costs for three years,. To be honest, a snail would be faster in addressing the issues. Young motorists in particular are affected, especially those under 25 years of age who may have been driving abroad. Many have full licences with no claims and so on. People working in family firms here are affected. Many of them are being charged thousands for their annual insurance. There is an extraordinary risk to the social fabric of society. We could see businesses closing and voluntary organisations unable to continue. The Minister of State seems to be merely promising us report after report. If I get an insurance quote at the moment and contest it, pretty quickly on the telephone most of the companies will give a 5% to 10% discount, if not eliminate the entire increase. It is an indication of how much money they are making if a premium of a policyholder increases dramatically but then, after a conversation, it can be dropped.

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