Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to get the chance today to talk about insurance reform. To be honest, we have been talking about insurance reform since I was elected to Dáil Éireann in 2016. While there have been some reductions in motor insurance, it looks to me as though the insurance companies are sucking up all of the reductions and are coming through with massive profits.

The people suffering the most are those in the community and voluntary sector. We would not be here today if it were not for them. I attend meetings when I go back to my constituency in south west Cork. Every time we talk about putting on an event, like a festival or whatever, someone asks about insurance, saying this or that will not be covered. Events are being blocked all over the place, even very simple things. Recently I was at a meeting and people were setting up a bouncy castle. The first thing somebody asked was whether we were covered. We were not. We went ahead with it that day but it could not go ahead afterwards because we did not have the cover and it would be a liability on the directors or the voluntary organisation.

The Minister of State may say insurance has come a long way but it needs to come a hell of a lot longer. While motor insurance has decreased, youths are being fleeced in every which way. Every ordinary mother and father is being fleeced too. Fuel prices are astronomical at the minute and the Government is standing over them. Its tax take is cruel to the ordinary human being but for a young person trying to get car insurance and get off the ground, it is almost impossible between buying the car, running it and paying unrealistic money for insurance.

The Judiciary gives out massive awards. We are not allowed talk about them but I do not understand why, because the State is paying for these massive awards. Hotels and nightclubs are facing difficulties in obtaining insurance. All of that is fed back to the ordinary mother, father, man or woman who attends the event. There is very little understanding or sympathy for them. The community and voluntary sector has said that people on CE schemes and rural social schemes are not able to carry out jobs because of insurance on roadsides, which is a huge issue in rural Ireland.

See this speech in context