Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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295. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of persons who have applied under the declined cases agreement in each of the years 2017 to 2020; the number who have successfully secured insurance under the agreement in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22127/21]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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At the outset, the Deputy should note that as Minister for Finance, I am not responsible for the operation of the Declined Cases Agreement (DCA) and as such do not have direct access to the data that is being requested. The DCA is operated independently by Insurance Ireland.

However, my Department does attend the Declined Cases Committee Annual General Meeting (AGM) as an observer. This arose primarily as a result of recommendation 7 of the Cost of Insurance Working Group (CIWG) Report on the Cost of Motor Insurance, which recommended that the DCA be subject to ongoing review to help ensure transparency.

Insurance Ireland has provided the data below to my Department in relation to those applying to the DCA for cover:

In relation to these figures, it is my Department’s understanding from information provided by Insurance Ireland that quotations were secured for all applicants through the Agreement framework and that it therefore considers all to have been successful.

I would note that the numbers applying to the DCA have been reducing in recent years, having peaked previously at 1,941 in 2016.  While the numbers for 2020 are likely to have eased in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe that the decreases over the last number of years demonstrate that reforms, by the Cost of Insurance Working Group, and more recently by the Cabinet Committee Sub-group on insurance reform, are having a positive impact on motor insurance.