Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)

The Minister of State is welcome. I acknowledge the work of my colleague, Senator Nelson Murray, in drafting this Private Members' business and advocating for businesses up and down the country that face issues with insurance.

Insurance has been a huge issue in this country for some years. In fairness, the Government has done a lot. The 16.7% increase recommended for personal injury guidelines is excessive. I fully concur with Senator Nelson Murray on that.

A lot of good work has been done by Governments in recent years. For example, the Cabinet committee gave a focus to insurance issues and the measures in the action plan for insurance reform were implemented. Issues flowing from that included the establishment of an office to promote competition in the insurance market, the introduction of new personal injury guidelines, the making of perjury a statutory offence and the introduction of a duty of care in legislation enacted in 2023. All these actions are positive in terms of providing certainty for the market but on the understanding and in the belief that they will reduce insurance premiums. While there has been some stability at different times, we have not seen the level of success we would like in terms of premiums.

In May 2024, An Garda Síochána launched a new system to identify uninsured vehicles. That system has been a success because the number of uninsured vehicles has dropped. This leads one to believe that car insurance premiums would also drop but that has not happened, which begs the question as to why. The Garda's use of this technology has acted as an incentive for motorists who, heretofore, were not insuring their cars to insure their vehicles. Why then has the cost of premiums not fallen as a result?

The extension of the review of the personal injury guidelines to every seven years is a sensible proposal. Excessive increases would be avoided if a review were carried out every seven years rather than every three years. That is an important measure.

The prioritisation of legislation providing for a right to be forgotten for cancer survivors has been discussed in these Houses and elsewhere. According to a report by the Irish Cancer Society, three in every five people affected by cancer find it difficult to access financial products such as life insurance and mortgage and income protection insurance. This is a real concern for families given that one in three of us will get cancer in our lifetime. I welcome the commitment in the programme for Government to legislate for this right. I hope it will be a priority because cancer sufferers and those who have recovered from cancer deserve the same protections as everyone else. People cannot get a mortgage without first having life insurance, so this is a necessity.The Injuries Resolution Board has worked but can be strengthened. The resolution of cases outside the courts has been positive in reducing payouts, which is to be welcomed. Concern has been expressed over litigation fees in dealing with these cases. The less the courts are involved, the better, if payouts and premiums paid are to be reduced.

Overall, much positive work was done by the previous Government and the one before that. We need to continue to improve the outcomes for consumers up and down the country, be they private individuals who want to ensure their cars or the businesses that are creating employment and, as Senator Murray highlighted regarding her business, providing leisure opportunities for children and parents alike. We realise the importance of the simple things we could take for granted, including the bouncy castles at fairs and shows, and all that go with them. If in the future we are to have these things, which have in some ways become necessities for children, we need to ensure we can afford the insurance premiums and that the payouts are not excessive. We need to continue on the path we have been on in recent years to ensure we realise this.