Vol. 491 No. 3
151 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of insurance companies offering unrestricted motor car insurance to drivers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12343/98]
152 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of insurance companies offering motor insurance cover to drivers under 25 and 21 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12344/98]
153 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the various residential zones in regard to which insurance companies financially penalise drivers on the basis of the area in which they reside; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12345/98]
154 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the total number of motor insurers willing to quote terms to Irish motorists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12346/98]
I propose taking Questions Nos. 151, 152, 153 and 154 together.
There are currently 33 head office insurers authorised to underwrite motor insurance business in Ireland. There are also 15 branches of insurers authorised in other EU member states and one branch of a non-EU authorised insurer entitled to underwrite such business in Ireland. There are also three non-established insurers who have notified us of their intention to underwrite motor insurance risks in the State.
Insurance undertakings are not obliged to furnish information on the extent to which they have issued policies in classes for which they are authorised to do business or on the terms and conditions of the policies issued. In these circumstances, it is not possible to provide data on the number of insurance companies actually offering motor insurance including data on policies for young drivers.
With regard to young drivers, I can say that most insurers are reluctant to quote for drivers under 25. In analysing young motorists' risk profile, the Deloitte and Touche consultancy report on insurance costs confirmed that, in a global context, young drivers as a group and individuals with poor safety records will have limited choice of insurers and face high premium rates throughout the EU.
The report's own survey of motor insurance premiums indicated that there was no uniform "market price" for motor insurance due to factors such as differing assessments of claims histories by insurers, strategies towards niche markets, specialisation and segmentation of the market. Their survey showed that the key factors affecting the premium rates applied to the Irish motorists were the individual driver's maturity and safety record. Within these parameters motor insurers quote a range of premium levels or decline to quote depending on their own underwriting criteria.
