Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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262. To ask the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties that the owners of dwellings with thatched roofs are having securing home insurance; if he will raise the matter with the insurance sector to seek an appropriate solution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49565/22]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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At the outset it is important to note that neither I, nor the Central Bank of Ireland can direct the pricing or provision of insurance products, as this is a commercial matter which individual companies assess on a case-by-case basis. This position is reinforced by the EU Single Market framework for insurance (the Solvency II Directive) which prevents Member States from doing so.

Minister Fleming is currently undertaking a round of high-level engagements with stakeholders in the insurance sector, and is raising with them the issue of thatched roof properties, amongst other ‘pinch point’ areas of cover. Brokers Ireland has previously informed this Department that it has a dedicated information service for people having insurance issues with their thatch roof properties and has established a special email address to deal with these queries, which is thatchedroofqueries@brokersireland.ie.

Separately, the Deputy may also be aware that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is currently undertaking a study into the question of insurance for thatched roof properties, and that owners of such properties have been invited to contribute to this. All queries regarding this project should be directed to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Officials in my Department are continuously engaging with insurance providers and are monitoring ongoing developments in this specific area.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to assure the Deputy that securing a more sustainable and competitive market through deepening and widening the supply of insurance in Ireland remains a key policy priority for this Government, and that it is my intention to continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that implementation of the Action Plan for Insurance Reformcan have a positive impact on the affordability and availability of insurance across all sectors in the economy.