Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to raise the issue of insurance costs and the crippling impact that these costs are having on business and consumers alike. Year on year, consumers can see huge increases in their premiums and it has now reached the stage where many are struggling to pay them. I appreciate that many factors contribute to the rise in insurance costs. One such factor is fraudulent claims, something we definitely we need to get a grip on. It is unfair that someone can currently make a fraudulent claim and walk away from it scot-free.

A second contributory issue is that of insurance payouts, which are four and a half times higher in this country than in the United Kingdom. The average payout in Ireland amounts to €21,000, compared to only €4,000 in the United Kingdom; between €2,500 and €6,000 in Germany; and approximately €1,500 in France. I read a report recently which claimed that Ireland is the whiplash capital of Europe as apparently we have very high level of whiplash claims in this country. I always thought that many Irish people had hard necks on them but these statistics would seem to prove otherwise. The most recent statistics available to us show that whiplash accounts for approximately 80% of motor insurance claims in this country, as compared to just 3% in France. The average payout for whiplash in Ireland is €15,000, which is three times higher than in the United Kingdom and five times higher than either Italy or Spain.

I appreciate that a report has been carried out on insurance costs and recommendations made. Unfortunately we have yet to see many of those recommendations implemented. I would like the Leader to arrange for the Minister to appear before the House to advise as to where the Government stands on these recommendations. I am sure the Leader and all our constituents would agree that insurance is a serious issue and one that needs to be tackled now.