Vol. 534 No. 3
78 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the recent equality legislation has any implications in the provision of quotations for motor insurance if loadings are based on age or sex; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10409/01]
Under the Equal Status Act, 2000, an individual who considers that he or she has experienced discrimination, within the meaning of the Act, may refer a complaint to the Director of Equality Investigations for investigation or mediation. Areas of potential discrimination are age or sex of an individual. The underwriting criteria used by insurers are normally based on their experience of underwriting particular risks. This includes trends in the level, frequency and cost of claims for particular segments of risks of the insurance market and classes of risk and are a matter for judgment by individual private insurance companies. The application of loadings to quotations would likewise reflect an insurer's interpretation of the risk involved. The Equal Status Act, 2000, allows differences in the treatment of persons in relation to annuities, pensions, insurance policies or any other matters related to the assessment of risk where the treatment is affected by reference to actuarial or statistical data obtained from a source on which it is reasonable to rely, or other relevant underwriting or commercial factors and is reasonable having regard to the data or other relevant factors.
