Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 July 2017
35. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the status of the second phase of the cost of insurance working group in respect of employer liability and public liability; when the working group will come forward with recommendations; the progress on the working group's report on motor insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31243/17]
View answerThe Cost of Insurance Working Group is in its second phase examining the cost of employer liability insurance and public liability insurance and has so far met nine times this year, including this morning (July 5 2017), which is the first meeting that I have chaired as Minister. During this time the Working Group has held extensive consultations with a range of stakeholders and further consultations are planned, while submissions have been invited and received from interested parties.
At this stage, two sub-groups have been formed looking in more detail at, respectively, legal-related matters and market-related issues. The issues under consideration by the legal sub-group are complex and raise constitutional questions and thus require careful consideration. A request for advice from the Office of the Attorney General is being prepared on the basis of the Working Group’s assessment of the issues raised. The response to this request for advice will shape the recommendations emerging from the second phase.
It is anticipated that the second phase recommendations will take the form of an addendum to the Report on the Cost of Motor Insurance as many of them will build upon the recommendations in the existing Report and it is hoped that it will be published in late September, subject to receipt of the legal advice and development of the recommendations arising from that legal advice.
In relation to the implementation of the recommendations of the Report on the Cost of Motor Insurance, the Deputy will be aware that there are 33 recommendations with 71 associated actions to be carried out in agreed timeframes, which are clearly set out in an Action Plan.
There is a commitment within the Report that the Working Group will prepare quarterly updates on its progress and the first such update was published in early May. My Department will publish the second quarterly update in the coming weeks. This update will again show the progress to date on the overall implementation of the recommendations, with a particular focus on the 17 action points which were due for completion in the second quarter of 2017.
