Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Italian ambassador. I also wish him a happy Republic Day. The connections between Ireland and Italy are clear, not just because we love Italian food and culture and love visiting Italy but because there is also a certain commonality between the people of Italy and the people of Ireland. We share so many values, and so much about the enjoyment of life, including food and drink. It is great to see the ambassador in the House.

Yesterday, a casualty who have been swimming in the sea off Killiney had to be airlifted from the beach . Obviously, it is wonderful in this weather that people get to enjoy the amenities offered by our waterways and coasts, but we ask them to remember, as they enjoy the sea, rivers and lakes of Ireland, which can be dangerous, to very careful. Failing to do the normal things we expect people to do and to be cautious can result in disaster or relying on the Coast Guard, which is fantastic and on which we can always rely. However, let us hope we do not rely on it because if we are relying on it, then somebody else cannot. It is very important for people to be careful around our coasts and waterways.

In due course, I will ask the Acting Leader to accept an amendment to the Order of Business to take No. 18 before No. 1 in order to introduce the Private Members' Bill in my name, the consumer insurance contracts (amendment) Bill 2023, which as people can tell from the name, is a sexy and very-much-wanted topic. I am sure everybody is concerned about what this Bill seeks to do, which is to outlaw average clauses in non-life insurance contracts. As I see people's eyes glaze over in the context of that discussion, I will tell them why it is a very important issue. An average clause is essentially a clause that insurance companies operate to reduce their liability in respect of non-life contracts. The obvious example is home insurance. If somebody has insured his or her home, let us say for 80% of the mean taken at value, then the insurance company takes the view that person has taken responsibility for insuring the other 20%. Even if they do not have to call on the full amount to reinstate the house, in the event of a fire or something like that, whatever amount it is, the insurance company will knock 20% off that. I do not think people are aware this is the case.

People are losing out when disaster strikes and, at their lowest moment, find they are insured for much less than they thought. It is exacerbated in the current climate because the cost of reinstatement has gone up by so much. For example, if you have insured your house for €300,000 and the insurance company says that is only 80%, you will be short a substantial amount of money but, worse, you are probably underinsured in the current environment because of the cost of reinstatement, and the multiplier effect comes with that. I ask the Cathaoirleach - perhaps Senator Lombard will second this proposal - that we amend the Order of Business to take No. 18 before No. 1.