There is no doubt that consumers and business, particularly small businesses, have been savaged by high insurance costs. Consumers have been faced with extremely high household and motor premiums while businesses have been faced with massive hikes in insurance which have caused serious difficulties for many of them throughout the State. Unfortunately, we probably all know examples of businesses which had to fold. Weekly, we hear of businesses, particularly in the manufacturing sector, facing closure or a reduction in their activities because of an increase in the cost of their employer or public liability insurance.