Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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229. To ask the Minister for Finance if he is aware that no insurance company in Ireland is offering insurance for mobility scooters (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15263/23]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Government is aware that a small number of sectors are currently facing difficulty in terms of affordability and availability of insurance. We have therefore prioritised the implementation of the Action Plan for Insurance Reform, which aims to improve the cost and availability of insurance for households, businesses and individuals. The third Action Plan Implementation Report, published in November, demonstrates that considerable progress has been achieved, with the vast bulk of the 66 actions contained therein now delivered or ongoing.

My officials have engaged with the sector and with the insurance industry to ascertain the scope of the issue. It is a feature of the Irish insurance market that some smaller areas, including mobility vehicles, were traditionally dependent on specialist UK providers passporting into Ireland. As a consequence of the UK’s decision to leave the EU, this practice has now ended and it has become more expensive and difficult for niche underwriters from the UK to provide their products here. This has been exacerbated by the small size of some of these sectors, meaning that just one or two large or catastrophic claims can negatively impact insurance capacity for an extended period of time. Officials will continue to monitor the issue closely and report on any developments in the area. In addition, Minister of State Carroll MacNeill, in her ongoing engagement with the sector, will continue to emphasise the need for insurance providers to both reduce premiums and increase their risk appetite to provide cover in new areas.

Separately, it may interest you to know that Insurance Ireland, the representative body for insurance providers in this country, operates an Insurance Information Service for those who have queries, complaints or difficulties in relation to obtaining insurance, which can be accessed at feedback@insuranceireland.eu. Likewise, Brokers Ireland provide assistance to customers who are experiencing insurance accessibility issues; it can be contacted on insurancequeries@brokersireland.ie.

In conclusion, I wish to reassure you that it is the my intention to continue to work with my Government colleagues to ensure that the implementation of the Action Planwill continue to have a positive impact on the affordability and availability of insurance for all groups across Ireland.