Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Of the 66 actions contained in the Government’s action plan for insurance reform, which includes four Departments, 26 have been completed by my Department. A major focus has been placed on insurance reform in the Department of Justice. We have already introduced legislation. While a number of deadlines have, perhaps, been missed, the focus has not been taken away from insurance. The focus been rightly on insurance in many other areas, as well as this. I do not intend to bring forward a separate bill, because I think that would only take longer. These are amendments that can be put into the civil miscellaneous bill, which is due in the coming months. We are at the end stages of the process. We are engaging with the Attorney General. I completely appreciate and understand the importance of this legislation and in making sure that businesses, individuals, community groups and those who represent play spaces and other areas can see the benefit of the legislation.

People are already seeing the benefit of the 51 actions that have been completed.e. To give the Deputy an example of one, my own Department has worked with An Garda Síochána and we have seen the number of staff in the fraud bureau rise by one third, which has allowed a new office to open up. We are engaging with the insurance companies in order that we can identify where fraud its taking place and that we can have a better and closer relationship to try and reduce those numbers over all. That will discourage people from coming forward with claims and it will have a knock-on impact on insurance companies and the cost that they are putting on to individuals.

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