Seanad debates
Thursday, 20 November 2003
Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003: Second Stage.
I received representations from schools recently about the enormous increase in the cost of insuring school buildings in recent years, which puts pressure on their finances. It is clearly not the case that since the events of 11 September 2001, the risks are significantly different. The outbuildings on my farm are not more likely to collapse because it is post 11 September 2001 than they were likely to prior to that time. Similarly, schools are not more likely to go up in flames because of the events of 11 September 2001 than was likely prior to that time. Some explanation is required from the insurance companies as to why insurance premiums were jacked-up in the Irish market to such an extent. One explanation I have been given is that the companies needed to rebuild reserves, but the reserves were not being depleted in Ireland whatever about anywhere else. We require an explanation as to why insurance premiums have remained in most cases way above the level they were prior to 11 September 2001. The objective in this regard brings me back to the Bill. The aim must be to get those costs down at least to the level they were prior to 11 September 2001, but to allow for inflation. This does not ignore the fact that there were some structural problems, particularly in regard to motor insurance, which perhaps has been least affected by the events of 11 September 2001.
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