Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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223. To ask the Minister for Finance the steps being taken to ensure that a union (details supplied) is able to obtain an appropriate insurance quote that would allow for the running of any road, off-road and circuit racing on the island of Ireland in 2023, seeing as the union has, as of yet, been unable to obtain any such quote. [9762/23]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Government is aware that a small number of activity-related sectors, including motorcycle sports, are currently facing difficulty in terms of affordability and availability of insurance. We have prioritised the implementation of the Action Plan for Insurance Reform, which aims to improve the cost and availability of insurance for all groups, including sporting organisations. The latest Implementation Report, published in November 2022, demonstrates that significant progress has been made, with approximately 90 percent of the actions either delivered or initiated.

Work remains ongoing on a whole-of Government basis to ensure the timely implementation of the remaining elements of the Action Plan. Of particular relevance to sports insurance are the proposed amendments to the duty of care legislation. The policy intent is that these measures will have a significant impact on the issue of ‘slips, trips and falls’, and thus should assist the activity sector as a whole in relation to accessing insurance cover.

Separately, the Deputy may also be aware that the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is working closely with Sports Ireland to investigate the question of insurance in the wider sports sector. Accordingly, National Governing Bodies have been invited to contribute to this exercise. All queries regarding this study should be directed to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

In conclusion, I wish to reassure the Deputy that it is my intention to work with my Government colleagues to ensure that the implementation of the Action Plan will continue to have a positive impact on the affordability and availability of insurance for all groups, including sporting clubs and organisations.