John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also want to raise with the Minister of State the serious issue of the escalating cost of providing insurance cover and the negative impact it is having on communities right across the State. I am speaking specifically here about County Wicklow and the impact it is having on a small successful business, Squirrel's Scramble, which had to take the difficult decision to close down temporarily because of the escalating insurance cost.

This is primarily down to the greed of the insurance industry but it is also a stark failure of the Government to get to grips with this rip-off industry. In 2017, Squirrel's Scramble's insurance costs were €3,000. Last year, they were €26,000. This year, the company was being quoted a price of €88,000 to provide the same cover. It is a crippling and unnecessary blow to a small business, a local community and the thousands of customers who avail of the excellent facilities at the adventure park throughout the year. It is also a devastating blow to the 20 staff who work in the facility.

The Minister of State previously stated that he promised to get additional competition into the Irish insurance market. He has failed to do that. I ask him to address this failure to bring in additional competition. I also want to repeat the call to introduce reform in relation to the insurance industry, including legislative changes to the duty of care provisions. If customers are to continue to enjoy the services offered by adventure parks such as Squirrel's Scramble, they will also have to share in the responsibility for their own safety. The legislation, as it currently stands, is simply not fit for purpose. All that is required is a straightforward amendment to the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004 in order to allow the Government to improve the legislation around waivers so that there is a knowledge and understanding that when you sign a form, it is strong, solid and will stand up in court. That is something that the Minister of State committed to doing in the programme for Government a year and a half ago. Perhaps he can clarify where that is.

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