I propose to take Questions Nos. 168, 170, 189, 194 and 195 together.
The ministerial committee established to oversee implementation of insurance reform, which I chair also includes the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Minister for Transport and the chairperson of the Motor Insurance Advisory Board.
To date, the ministerial committee has met once. That meeting was attended by the Ministers as stated above and senior officials from the respective Departments. As a follow-up to that meeting four other bilateral meetings have taken place involving the various Departments and the Irish Insurance Federation. These meetings were attended by senior officials. Another ministerial meeting has been scheduled to take place within the next two weeks.
Progress has been made on the majority of the MIAB recommendations and, to date, ten have been implemented. EU law prevents me from intervening directly in the pricing or underwriting of insurance. However, I have made it clear that I consider there to be an onus on the insurance industry to ensure that the reforms to be taken as outlined in my reform programme will have the effect of significantly reducing the cost of premia to consumers. I expect such benefits to accrue when more of the reforms are in place.
