Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

135. To ask the Minister for Finance the extent to which the motor insurance market in particular and the insurance market in general has been influenced by statistics produced by An Garda Síochána which have now been confirmed as being unreliable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15945/17]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I understand following consultation with your office that the reference to "statistics produced by An Garda Síochána which have now been confirmed as being unreliable" relates specifically to the recent public revelation that the number of roadside drink-driving breathalyser tests undertaken nationally between 2011 and early 2016 have been exaggerated by the Garda Siochana.

As you are aware, as part of a Departmental review of policy in the insurance sector, I established the Cost of Insurance Working Group, chaired by Minister of State Eoghan Murphy T.D. In the course of its examination of the motor insurance sector, which culminated in the publication of the "Report on the Cost of Motor Insurance" in January, the Working Group consulted with insurance providers in relation to issues such as how a motor insurance premium is calculated and what factors have led to the recent general large increases in such premiums.

Factors influencing the calculation of an individual premium include, inter alia, the age of the driver, the age of the vehicle, the relevant driving history, and existence or otherwise of a No Claims Discount/No Claims Bonus. Reasons provided to the Cost of Insurance Working Group for the large recent increases in motor insurance premiums included a cross-industry re-balancing process following a period, approximately from 2010 to 2014, when premiums were widely under-priced, growth in the frequency and cost of settling claims, and a significant rise in the levels of reserves set aside for claims expected to be paid in the future.

I am not aware of any evidence that the exaggerated  number of roadside drink-driving breathalyser tests provided by An Garda Síochána would have had any direct impact on the general cost of motor insurance.