Mark Duffy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I welcome the Minister of State. I welcome the opportunity to speak on such an important matter that affects towns and villages right across the country. I compliment the work of Senator Nelson Murray, a strong advocate in the House of insurance reform, reflecting her own lived experience and the challenges that face businesses like hers. In County Mayo, businesses have closed down. The role of businesses such as soft play centres, which are the heartbeat for young families in an area where it rains more than it does not, cannot be overstated. The insurance costs that force family-owned businesses that bring so much joy to communities cannot be supported. The proposed award increase of 16.7% is totally excessive and we need to make that clear to the Minister of State and work together to ensure we push back on it.

Ahead of this evening’s discussion, I was in touch with Brendan Kenny, the chief executive of Ireland’s Association for Adventure Tourism. That is a representative body for outdoor activity tourism on the island of Ireland. It has 210 members and these members offer 50 different activity experiences, including hiking, kayaking, biking, horse riding, surfing, adventure centre and water park pursuits, and much more. This is key to domestic tourism but also to the international tourism market, and it results in so much joy, fun and excitement across the country. Local examples of providers in County Mayo and the west include Delphi Resort, which many are familiar with, Wildlands, Westport Adventure Centre, Westport Bike Hire, Clew Bay boat tours, Baysports, Summer SUP, and Go!Trekking! These are just a flavour of some of the association’s member organisations that could be negatively impacted if the increases go ahead.

The industry is totally opposed to the increases. I do not blame it because it worked alongside the Alliance for Insurance Reform and fought hard for reforms. The reforms delivered in recent years have just this year begun to show positive results for businesses. The cost for businesses in the Irish sector is still four times greater than that for equivalent businesses in the UK and six to eight times more expensive than that for their counterparts across Europe. There is a clear disparity and we need to work to support the businesses being affected by it. Outdoor activity tourism is a vital cog in the tourism ecosystem and provides fundamental pathways to promoting physical and mental health activities. Such businesses are not only providing a lot from a tourism perspective, but they are also being supplied by talented young people who are educated in outdoor tourism and orientated to work in this industry. If the industry collapses, it has a knock-on effect on outdoor education provision and study at the Mayo campus in ATU, which has a strong and vibrant course that could be negatively impacted if the awards guidelines were increased.

The proposal is excessive. I welcome IPB Insurance's efforts regarding supports for Tidy Towns. I wish to see us go further on that if possible and support the voluntary sector more broadly. Volunteers take on a lot by contributing their time, expertise and talents. Their contribution to society and their communities should not involve fundraising to pay excessive insurance premiums on, for example, historic buildings that they own, rent or maintain. They should be empowered to contribute in a positive manner to the community and not have to fundraise to pay for excessive insurance.

We should not legislate joy out of society and communities. We need to create a happy balance and medium for protecting those who are affected by injury while also making sure it is not exploitative and is done in a way that promotes and encourages activities and centres that offer so much joy to communities and societies right across Ireland.

I thank the Minister of State for his time and Senator Nelson Murray and the Cathaoirleach for facilitating the conversation.