Mattie McGrath: Accuses Insurers of 'Robbing Us Blind' in Covid
Deputy Mattie McGrath spoke on 1 June 2021, condemning insurance companies for refusing to pay business interruption claims during the COVID period and accusing the Government of buying insurers another nine months of protection. He argued this behaviour amounts to a cartel and price gouging that is draining small businesses, publicans and hotels, and he criticised delays at the RSA and the NDLS that hold back young drivers.
Main accusation
McGrath accused insurance companies of refusing legitimate business interruption claims and said the Government was effectively "buying another nine months" for insurers to avoid payments. He described the conduct as a racket and said insurers were "robbing us blind," arguing many businesses have been left without redress during the pandemic.
Impact on small businesses and hotels
He said the public rings him daily with complaints from businesses and public houses whose claims have not been paid, and cited an example of one hotel being charged 30,000 while closed. McGrath portrayed the situation as price gouging that drains the lifeblood from small firms at a time when many have had no or reduced claims because of closures.
Publicans and legal challenges
He saluted the "four gallon publicans in Dublin" who took a case against insurers and said, contrary to some colleagues, insurers are not paying but are "prevalicating and stalling." He argued that some fictitious claims have been rooted out but that the wider pattern is one of delay and refusal to meet legitimate business interruption claims.
Delays for young drivers
McGrath criticised the ineptitude of the RSA, the minister and the NDLS, saying around a hundred thousand people are waiting to get on the road. He linked licensing and road access delays to broader obstacles for economic recovery for young people trying to get into work.
Political criticism and consequences
He accused political allies of supporting insurers, saying "their friends in Fianna Fáil and their friends in Finnegade now supported by the Green will support them," and warned that further delay on action would continue to drain businesses. He urged the House not to grant another months' wait on the amendment, saying people are being drained by insurers who refuse to pay.
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I do want to thank Deputy Doherty for being proud of this motion and again to compliment the money's relentless challenge to what's the racket that's going on in insurance and Minister I wish you well and you've got your job and I know that you're a decent man and you try your best but I disappointed tonight that you're buying another nine months for the insurance companies to rob us blind that's what's happening and why wouldn't they do when the government have let them off and this is going on for decades here I mean we've seen it now in this episode with Covid and the public is ringing me every day where they had business interruption insurance and they've every reason in the book every rule in the book to keep not paying or there was an outbreak in the public house itself I mean it's black-handling and this is the time I operate on the strength of the Nathalie Curle-le-Caylor, Les Towne-Corona where we're all in this together we weren't all in this together big businesses have creamed during this Covid the last 14 months insurance companies there were no claims going on because the pubs were closed and many other businesses and then they gave them a miserly couple of euro off miserly some cases 40 euro out of 7,000 premium now they want to pressurise them to get their insurance renewed they give them 21 days and if they decide they won't go with them then they're going to penalise them there again so it's a shocking cartel that's going on out there with price gouging and everything else mention the young people they're trying to get on the road and the ineptitude of the RSA minister and the NDLS and the carry on there the people there are a hundred thousand people waiting to get going so how are we going to get our economy recovering but the same with the past two charges extraordinary figure I have one hotel here was charged 30,000 when his hotel was closed so this is a racket big business can do what they like in this case it's the insurance but it's all across the way I raised the leader's question to you last week that the way that all the things are stacked against small business and the small youth person trying to get on the road and then I know there are some fictitious claims but they've been rooted out and I compliment the regional group in bringing forward that bill and probably go care this bill we need to act here we cannot have this counter our amendment tonight for another months to wait because people are being drained of the very lifeblood by the insurance companies who refuse to pay I salute the four gallon publicans in Dublin who took that case but unlike what my colleague Deputy Collins said it's not happening they're not paying they're not paying they're just prevalicating and stalling in a stormwater because they know that their friends in Fianna Fáil and their friends in Finnegade now supported by the Green will support them and they support each other at the hell with Nadine Ogar Thank you
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