Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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120. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the implementation of the Action Plan for Insurance Reform measures within the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23061/24]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has been involved in the Action Plan for Insurance Reform from the beginning. The actions that have been allocated to my Department under the Action Plan are:

1. As part of the Sub-Group of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Recovery and Investment to agree and publish an Action Plan,
2. As part of the Sub-Group of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Recovery and Investment to make a report to Government on progress by end of 2020,
3. As part of the Sub-Group of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Recovery and Investment to meet regularly, engage with stakeholders and publish progress of actions every six months,
4. Enhancing and reforming the role of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board,
5. Giving the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission more effective enforcement powers to punish and deter anti-competitive conduct, and
6. Creating an office within Government tasked with encouraging greater competition in the Irish insurance market.

The Government's Action Plan for Insurance Reform was published on 8 December 2020. The Action Plan detailed 66 actions to bring down costs for business and consumers, introduce more competition into the market and prevent fraud.

Action 2

95% of these actions have now been implemented according to the 4th Implementation Report on the Action Plan for Insurance Reform which was published on 29 February 2024. Previous Implementation Reports have been published in July 2021, February 2022 and November 2022.

Action 3

I continue to attend the Sub-Group of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Recovery and Investment which oversees it.

Action 4

The Personal Injuries Resolution Board Act 2022 was enacted on 13 December 2022 and commenced through a series of commencement orders during 2023. The Act transforms the Injuries Resolution Board by enabling it to offer mediation, retain more cases, address the possibility of fraudulent claims and gives it a data gathering and reporting role. A mediation service is being introduced also on a phased basis. Mediation for employer liability injury claims commenced on 14 December 2023 and was extended recently to public liability injury claims on 8 May. Mediation is scheduled to commence for motor liability claims later this year. These measures are intended to facilitate an increase in the number of personal injury claims that may be resolved through the Board’s cost-efficient process and without recourse to litigation.

Action 5

With regard to those actions under the Action Plan which involved giving the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission more effective enforcement powers to punish and deter anti-competitive conduct, the Competition (Amendment) Act 2022 was signed into law on 29 June 2022. The Act, which I commenced on 27 September 2023, represents a step change in competition enforcement for Ireland. It provides for a new civil enforcement regime for the CCPC and ComReg under which breaches of competition law can be enforced through administrative sanctions with maximum fines of up to €10 million or 10 per cent of total worldwide turnover, whichever is the greater.

Action 6

Officials in my Department are members of the Office to Promote Competition in the Insurance Market, chaired by the Department of Finance, which seeks to encourage greater competition between existing insurers in the Irish market, including through expanding product offering and encouraging new entrants to enter the insurance market.