Natasha Newsome Drennan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)

I thank my Sinn Féin colleagues for bringing forward this important motion on the cost of insurance.

The record is clear. Time and again, the Minister of State and his colleagues in government show clearly which side they stand on. They have consistently blocked, stalled and delayed reforms that would lower the cost of car insurance. As a result, they have ensured that insurance companies are given free rein to fleece ordinary workers. They increase the cost of premiums every year despite no claims, no penalty points on driving licences and the value of the car going down. People who are doing everything right are being shafted again and again.

I recently spoke to a young apprentice who is one of those ordinary, working people doing everything right. He is learning a trade, going to work and contributing positively to society. However, the cost of insuring his car - his only means of getting to work - is pushing him into debt. He earns approximately €300 per week and is only getting by with help from his parents. The country is crying out for more tradespeople, yet they are paid peanuts, only to be ripped off just for getting to work. He, like thousands of others across rural Ireland, cannot get to work without a car. Public transport is simply not an option. However, every year, the Government gives the green light to insurance companies to increase premiums and punish those working and living in rural Ireland.

Another man I spoke to told me that his insurance premium has increase by €330 in the past three years. Again, he has a perfect record. He was able to drop into the insurance company's local branch and complain and guess what? It suddenly found a way to slash his premium by €280, which shows the attitude of these insurance companies. This is their strategy. They fire on massive increases to see what they can get away with and rely on our silence.

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