Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Doherty for bringing forward this much needed Bill to the House. It is long overdue and will be welcomed by all civil and fair-minded people. For far too long, this dual pricing could be practised through deceitful and cunning methods designed for nothing more than cream-skimming off the backs of motorists and home owners. It wilfully discriminates against clients through the use of big data such as: a postcode; where the person does his or her shopping; how many addresses the person has had previously; the person's sex, age and gender; the person's education; the person's Facebook likes; and the use of the person's personal credit card. These are but a few of the cream-skimming techniques used by insurance companies to form personal discriminatory judgments and to charge maximum insurance premiums. Not one of these criteria has anything to do with safe driving or home insurance. No Government should be seen to support or be part of such price gouging. This is exactly what we are dealing with here and exactly what one is agreeing to if this Bill is rejected.

We should not have to wait for a Central Bank report to tell us what every ordinary person already knows and what every motorist in the State knows. This malpractice must be stopped and this Bill will do just that. It will protect the vulnerable, it will bring transparency to premiums, it will protect the bona fide insurance brokers, and it will put money back where it belongs, which is in the hands of struggling families.

I am aware that every homeowner and motorist in Wexford will welcome the passing of this Bill, and so will their counterparts in every county in Ireland. This is about putting hard-earned cash back into the pockets of struggling families who are being overpriced and ripped off by the unscrupulous methods of telematics, or in ordinary terms "big data".

I will give a prime example of an 88-year-old pensioner from Wexford. He uses his car only to do some short journeys such as going to mass and for errands for his neighbours in a small village. He was quoted €950. This man does not understand computers.

His son went online for him resulting in a quote of €550, which was a reduction of €400 or 42%. This 88-year-old pensioner was lucky to have his son to help him; otherwise, he would have had to pay €950. This is just one small case in many rip-off cases that this Insurance (Restriction on Differential Pricing and Profiling) Bill 2021 will put an end to. I urge all Deputies and Senators to support this Bill and give struggling families a break.

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