Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael)

I move:

That Seanad Éireann:

acknowledges: - the publication, in 2020, of an Action Plan For Insurance Reform;

- that there have been four Action Plan Implementation Reports to date;

- the establishment of the Office to Promote Competition in the Insurance Market;

- the introduction of new personal injuries guidelines in April 2021, which set reduced levels for personal injury compensation and changed the amounts of General Damages to be awarded by the courts and by the Injuries Resolution Board;

- the reform of the Injuries Resolution Board to include the provision of mediation as a means of resolving a claim in employer liability claims; giving the Injuries Resolution Board a role in providing information analysis and awareness raising; a requirement for proof of identity (PPS Number) and confirmation that the medical report provided at the time of a claim contains details of the injuries sustained in the incident which gave rise to the claim and the disclosure of information to An Garda Síochána to reduce fraud;

- the making, in 2021, of perjury as a statutory offence for the first time, to help address insurance fraud;

- the re-balancing of the Duty of Care with new legislation enacted in July 2023;

- the strengthening of the Solicitors Advertising Regulations 2019 with the Legal Services Regulatory Authority regulations which came into effect in December 2020;

- that there has been an increase in coordination and cooperation between An Garda Síochána and the insurance industry in relation to fraud;

- the establishment of an Insurance Fraud Coordination Office within An Garda Síochána, to allow for uniformity in the reporting and processing of cases of suspected fraud, as well as offering support to Divisional-level investigations and providing accurate statistics on the number and trends of cases;

- the enhancement of the National Claims Information Database; notes the Government’s efforts to promote competition in the Irish insurance market: - by encouraging greater competition between existing insurers, including through expanding product offering;

- by encouraging new entrants to enter the insurance market, be they new domestic companies, companies ‘passporting’ in from EU/EEA member States, or companies

from third countries outside the EU/EEA;

- by considering new initiatives to assist in advancing the above objectives, having regard to the EU Directives pertaining to insurance; EU state aid rules; EU and national competition law; and the statutory independence of State bodies; further notes: - the recent Public Consultation by the Department of Finance on a new Action Plan for Insurance Reform;

- the launch in May 2024 of a new system which allows members of An Garda Síochána to quickly and easily identify uninsured vehicles;

- the significant reduction in the number of uninsured vehicles over the last 12 months; calls for further action on insurance reform including: - greater transparency on how insurance premiums are calculated to ensure the benefits of Government reforms are passed on to consumers and businesses;

- the extension of the review of the personal injuries guidelines to every seven years to avoid excessive increases;

- the introduction of tougher penalties on those who commit insurance fraud;

- the encouragement of more competition from international insurance companies;

- increased affordability and availability of insurance;

- the encouragement of faster release of data from the National Claims Information Database to improve transparency;

- the development of new guidelines on rates and fees on all forms of civil litigation and the taking of further steps to resolve cases outside of court;

- the maintenance of the Cabinet sub-committee on insurance reform;

- the prioritisation of legislating for the ‘Right to be Forgotten’ for cancer survivors;

- the strengthening of the Injuries Resolution Board to support the resolution of cases outside of court;

- the mitigation of the impact of climate change on insurance, including extreme weather risks and the insurance protection gap;

- the enhancement of Ireland’s position as a leading insurance hub in Europe and internationally;

- the promotion of Insurtech innovation and digitalisation.