Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 July 2018
234. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the progress he and the motor insurance working group have made on the establishment of an anti-fraud unit in An Garda Síochána in order to reduce insurance fraud and uninsured driving; when it will be operational; the number of gardaí who will be in the unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31767/18]
View answerRecommendation 26 of the ‘Report on the Cost of Motor Insurance’, published in January 2017, relates to exploring the potential for further cooperation between the insurance sector and An Garda Síochána in relation to insurance fraud investigation. Specifically, this involves considering the feasibility of establishing a specialised and dedicated insurance fraud unit within An Garda Síochána, funded by industry.
The Garda Commissioner authorised the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) to engage with Insurance Ireland in exploratory talks about this recommendation, resulting in the GNECB submitting a mechanism for further cooperation and a costed proposal to Insurance Ireland in the latter half of 2017. Insurance Ireland agreed to explore the proposal further, subject to a full cost benefit analysis, which was carried out by Insurance Ireland’s Chief Financial Officers Working Group.
Insurance Ireland informed the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Mr Michael D’Arcy, T.D., of the outcome of its analysis on 2 July 2018, recommending industry funding of a Garda insurance fraud unit. This outcome has also been communicated to An Garda Síochána.
Officials in my Department are now engaging with the GNECB in relation to this recommendation. The intention is that such a dedicated Garda unit will be funded by Insurance Ireland members and non-members alike, i.e. all entities writing non-life insurance business in Ireland.
I am advised that activity to date in relation to this recommendation consists of scoping out the possible cost and feasibility of setting up such a unit. It will be a matter for me, as Minister for Justice and Equality, on foot of a recommendation from the Garda Commissioner, to decide whether the establishment of the proposed unit is something which should be pursued.
The Deputy will appreciate that a number of the matters referred to in his question are of an operational nature and, as such, will fall to be considered by the Garda Commissioner in considering whether or not to establish a new Garda unit along the lines proposed in the Cost of Insurance Working Group's motor insurance report. As Minister for Justice and Equality, I have no role in relation to these matters.
I understand that, at this stage, the Garda Commissioner has yet not formed a view on the proposal, and a proposal or recommendation has not been submitted to me as Minister. There are a number of serious issues which will require further consideration before any decision whether or not to proceed in this manner is taken and discussions are ongoing between relevant officials in my Department and members of An Garda Síochána.
