Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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315. To ask the Minister for Finance the grounds on which some motor insurance companies may refuse to offer insurance to cars over 15 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30775/15]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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In my role as Minister for Finance, I have responsibility for the development of the legal framework governing financial regulation. The provision of insurance cover and the price at which it is offered is a commercial matter for insurance companies and is based on an assessment of the risks they are willing to accept and adequate provisioning to meet these risks.

As a matter of course, insurance companies carry out reviews of the risks against which they are prepared to insure and they consider these risks when determining their policies, including whether to insure cars over fifteen years old.

The EU framework for insurance expressly prohibits Member States adopting rules which require insurance companies to obtain prior approval or provide systematic notification of certain matters, including general and special policy conditions and scales of premiums.

Insurance Ireland operates a free Insurance Information Service for those who have queries, complaints or difficulties in relation to obtaining insurance.  In the event that a person is unable to obtain a quotation for motor insurance or feels that the premium proposed or the terms are so excessive that it amounts to a refusal to give them motor insurance, they should contact Insurance Ireland, 5 Harbourmaster Place, IFSC, Dublin 1, Telephone +353 1 6761820, quoting the Declined Cases Agreement. Under the Agreement, the Declined Cases Committee of Insurance Ireland deal with any cases of difficulty in obtaining motor insurance.