Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 July 2017
126. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of times to date in 2017 the working group on the rising cost of motor insurance has met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33761/17]
View answer127. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of times the working group on insurance costs has met on phase 2 on employer and public liability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33762/17]
View answer128. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide a quarter 2 update on the working group action plan to tackle the rising cost of motor insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33763/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 126 to 128, inclusive, together.
The Cost of Insurance Working Group has met 21 times to date. It met for the first time on 20 July 2016 and held its most recent meeting on 5 July 2017.
The Cost of Motor Insurance was the focus of its twelve meetings in 2016. The nine meetings which have taken place since the beginning of this year have focused on the Second Phase of the Group’s work on the Cost of Employer Liability and Public Liability Insurance. The implementation of the Report on the Cost of Motor Insurance is also a standing item on the agenda of the second phase meetings.
There is a commitment within the Report on the Cost of Motor Insurance that the Working Group will prepare quarterly updates on the progress of the implementation of the recommendations and the first such update was published in early May. That update provides details on how the implementation of the recommendations is progressing, with a particular focus on the ten action points which were due for completion during the first quarter.
My Department will publish the second quarterly update shortly. As with the first quarterly update, this will again show the progress to date on the overall implementation of the recommendations, but this time with a particular focus on the 17 action points which were due for completion during the second quarter of 2017. My officials are currently in the process of collating all of the relevant updates from the individual relevant Government Departments and Agencies in order to compile the full quarterly report. In addition, substantial work has also been undertaken in respect of a number of the other 44 actions, including all eight which are classified as “ongoing” in the Action Plan.
