As the Deputy is aware public liability insurance is not a compulsory requirement in Ireland at present. However, it is deemed an essential insurance cover by many bodies that authorise others to conduct work on their behalf, e.g. many primary contractors will refuse to allow sub contractors onto a site without proof that they hold adequate public liability cover, even though it is not a legal requirement.
There are currently no proposals to make public liability insurance compulsory. It should be noted that any decision of this nature would have implications for the small business sector and therefore would first require consultation with the relevant stakeholders.