Danny Healy-Rae on soaring insurance costs and claims culture

First of all, I want to thank Sinn Féin for giving us the opportunity to discuss the cost of insurance here in the Chamber tonight. We've done it many times before. I don't know if anyone has been listening to this. Clearly, there isn't enough competition in the market. Minister, that's a fact. And I honestly believe, and I have said it before, that when Sean Quinn was competing in the market for insurance and when he was an alternative, that was the only time insurance cost came down. And it's clearly because there isn't enough competition. And motorists are paying through the noses to insure, especially young people. Youngsters, and I always say, give youngsters a chance. And if they've got their copybook, and if they misbehave driving the car, it is a lethal weapon, if not properly used. But give them a chance that they ought, and surely know they're doing theory tests and they're doing lessons and everything. 99% of them behave properly, and they should be given the chance. But they're being driven down through the ground with the cost of insurance, and it finishes up that parents have to insure them on their care or whatever they can to insure them on their own. And it's sad that they just don't get the chance. They're being charged so much haulers, and the amount of cost that's on haulers, and public liability, and any, all businesses, taxis, boss operators, all of those people are paying savage sums. And it's clear that the insurance companies are reaping the benefits, and they're taking a lot more profit than they need to do. Businesses, like I said, they're suffering from claims, and there seems to be no regulation as to what claims can go to. And we see in the UK, for instance, if whiplash is a kind of a common thing, any touch at all, and they're suffering. But there's a set price, maybe about 9,000 sterling in the UK for whiplash. But it can be up to 90,000 here for whiplash. And I don't say that they have brass necks here. Some of these people that operate the claims culture, they have actually gold necks now for the amount of money that they claim, and the amount of money that they are awarded. And it's very unfair on other people's things. And this claims culture is increasing, ministers, and I'm asking you to look into it and see if there's any way that it can be curbed. But private health insurance, and I've certainly raised this before, the cost of private health insurance, and, you know, people that, you know, that try to purchase private health insurance, they need to be applauded because they're paying towards the cost of their own health and try to maintain their health and try to be seen after. But we see what's happening. If you go into any hospital in the country tonight, and you don't have health insurance, the charge may be 70 or 80 euros for the night. But invariably, in the evening, if you're going into the hospital, they ask you for private health insurance. What will the cost be then? It will be 800 euros or more for the night. That's not fair, ministers, to drive me up the cost and the poor people, the elderly people that are paying for private health insurance, the coppers that are paying for their children and adding demand to their policy as they come along. They are paying through the nose for it, ministers. That needs to be addressed. And community events, voluntary groups that are, and I think the deputy from Portlaoise, I can't think of the name now, he mentioned it already. People, community events and voluntary organisations who put on various shows and things trying to retain their parish's identity, and there, many of them have failed to get insurance to cover them. And that's a disgrace, ministers. And it should be looked into, to why have they been charged so much, because it's not, again, it's not fair. And then we have the instances, the insurance companies, they can look up all these ways of knowing where the people leave and all that, and they say, you're in a floodplain. Many people don't get insurance, even though our houses were never flooded, never once flooded. And just because they're near where a floodplain is, could mean that they won't be covered by flood insurance, by any house insurance. That's not fair, ministers, and I'm asking you to look at that also. This, I have six. Yeah, so, again, ministers, I'm asking, we've asked you several times before, there's a set number of things that I named out there, the Yunglets, the Harliers, the bus operators, the business people, claims are not being, there's no into what claims can be, can happen. And the other thing is, if you have an accident there today on the road, you're in your insurance company. From that minute, your insurance is loaded, even though blame has not yet been apportioned. It could be the other person was likely, but I guarantee you, your policy won't come down next year. Once it was up at all, up till stay, ministers. I'm asking you to look at that as well. Sorry, no, I'm good. Deputy Mayor. Thank you.