Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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305. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the cost of insurance under different insurance headings such as public liability, buildings cover, employer liability and so on for her Department and each body under its aegis; the name of the insurance provider for each year since 2010, in tabular form; the number of current outstanding insurance claims against her Department or the body under its aegis; the estimated cost of those claims if available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15174/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department and a number of the bodies under its aegis operate under State Indemnity, a self-insurance model whereby the State bears the financial risk associated with the cost of claims. This approach is set out in the Public Financial Procedures at C8 Section 11 whereby the general rule is that no insurance should be effected against the risk of any loss which, if it arose would fall wholly and directly on public funds. This is based on the understanding that the risks for which the Government is liable are innumerable and widely distributed and that losses maturing in any one year are never so large as to materially disturb the financial position of the year, so that it is cheaper in the long term for the Exchequer to “carry its own insurance”.

The National Treasury Management Agency is designated as the State Claims Agency (SCA) when performing the claims and risk management functions delegated to it under the National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Act 2000. Since the establishment of the SCA, the management of claims functions has been delegated to the Agency.

In relation to Bodies under the aegis of the Department that are not operating under the State Indemnity and who have insurances, it is not possible to provide these details to the Deputy in the time available. Arrangements are therefore being made for the information requested in respect of the Bodies under the aegis of the Department to be collated and forwarded to the Deputy in line with the timelines set out in Standing Orders