Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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171. To ask the Minister for Finance the reason that up to 16 providers are competing in the motor insurance market, but there is far less competition in the business liability insurance sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60175/22]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Firstly, I wish to reassure the Deputy that I recognise the concerns felt by many businesses across various sectors around the cost and availability of insurance cover. Accordingly, Government has prioritised reform of the sector through the Action Plan for Insurance Reform. As the Deputy may be aware, the third Action Plan Implementation Report was published last month, showing that 90 percent of the 66 actions contained therein are now being delivered.

One of the key developments was the implementation of the Personal Injuries Guidelines, which was realised several months ahead of schedule. Recent data from PIAB shows that personal injury award levels have reduced by almost 40 percent. Minister Fleming recently met with the major insurers and brokers in the State and impressed upon them the Government’s expectation that savings achieved as a result of Government reforms will be passed onto customers. 

Data from the Central Bank illustrates that the public liability market has been loss making for a number of years, and consequently insurers are reluctant to expand in this area. At the same time, this more specialised market segment is closely linked to global insurance trends and is therefore slower to reflect the changes being delivered through the Government reform agenda than more commoditised products, such as motor insurance. Nevertheless, there are clear signs that the market is beginning to respond to the success of the Action Plan for Insurance Reform, with insurers moving into previously problematic niche areas such as childcare, inflatables and the equestrian sectors. 

In terms of upcoming issues, rebalancing the Duty of Care legislation is now a priority and is being led by the Department of Justice. Overhauling this legislation should help to address the issue of ‘slips, trips and falls’, which are particularly prevalent in heavy-footfall areas and could potentially unlock further liability insurance capacity for businesses.  

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to assure the Deputy that it is my intention to work with my Government colleagues to ensure that implementation of the Action Plan can have a positive impact on the affordability and availability of insurance across all sectors in the economy.