No progress made by government on excessive insurance premiums, says Kildare TD

By Kim O'Leary

Deputy Fiona O’Loughlin has said  that the government continues to fail to address excessive insurance costs for people living in Co Kildare.

Deputy O’Loughlin commented: “Kildare South constituents have made consistent complaints to me about the excessive insurance premiums they are forced to pay.  A public meeting I had in 2017 revealed just how angry motorists, charities, sports clubs and businesses are about paying premiums that are far in excess of what is justified or fair.  The Government last week released its fifth update on the Report on the Cost of Motor Insurance without any press release or coverage.  This goes to show how little progress has been achieved and how the government has rolled over on certain key measures."

She said: “Kildare consumers deserve to be informed as to the specific reason or reasons for an increase in their premium.  This action point has more or less been abandoned by the government and insurance companies now only have to provide generic reasons for increases.  This gives the customer little or no clarity and cannot be allowed to continue."

“The establishment of a National Claims Information Database was a key recommendation of the working group’s report and it seems the legislation will not be even introduced until the second half of 2018.  The government has shown no sign that it is on top of the issues driving insurance costs up.  Meanwhile, individuals, households, businesses, charities and sports clubs all face unsustainably high insurance premiums.  The government needs to afford this issue the urgency it requires in order to be fair to hardworking insurance policy holders in Kildare and throughout the country”, concluded Deputy O’Loughlin.