Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Members of the organisation concerned have been in contact with me in relation to the impact on their sport of rising insurance prices. I fully recognise the pressure that rising insurance costs are placing on a variety of sports, especially those with an inherently higher risk profile such as motorsports. This issue has been raised at official level by my Department with the Department of Finance which has responsibility for the regulation of the insurance sector in Ireland.

The Sports Action Plan 2021-2023 contains more than 40 distinct actions to assist the ongoing development of the sports sector over the period to end-2023. My Department is progressing work on the implementation of this plan, which includes a specific action on the holding of regular stakeholder forums with the sport sector to facilitate the collation of insurance pricing data. A report is currently being compiled in this regard and it is planned to present it to the Cabinet Committee on Insurance Reform for its consideration. I would like to assure the Deputy that the particular issues and challenges confronting the sports sector in this context will be emphasised and brought to the fore.

I will continue to engage with my colleague, the Minister for Finance, in relation to this matter. I believe that the reform process currently underway for the insurance sector will deliver an improved situation for those seeking cover for their calendar of sporting events and activities.