Insurance reform in the media
TUESDAY
The Independent, 12/11/19
Boy (2) who cut his eye off sharp object on pharmacy shelf awarded €22k
A two-year-old child who cut his right eye off a sharp object on a shelf in a Co Dublin pharmacy has been awarded damages of €22,000 in the Circuit Civil Court. Judge John O’ Connor heard that Ross Pickering of Merrion Park, South Hill Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin, had been shopping in Bradley’s Chemist with his mother on 14th July, 2014, when the accident occurred.
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SinnFein.ie, 12/11/19
Pearse Doherty TD welcomes investigation by Central Bank into insurance price discrimination and calls for it to be banned
Sinn Féin Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty TD has welcomed the decision by the Central Bank to investigate the price discrimination by the insurance industry. Before the Finance Committee today at Deputy Doherty’s request, the Central Bank confirmed they were undertaking a review into the impact of dual pricing on consumers and provide recommendations to deal with the findings.
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The Irish Examiner, 12/11/19
Findings in review of dual pricing in insurance sector not due until end of 2020
A Central Bank review of dual or differential pricing in the insurance sector will not make its first findings until the end of 2020, an Oireachtas Committee has heard. It has pledged to review pricing for motor and home insurance, with a view to determining the impact differential pricing has on customers, and whether the practice meets the requirements of Consumer Protection Code.
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WEDNESDAY
The Irish Times, 13/11/19
Whiplash injuries in low-impact accidents have become a social disease, court told
Whiplash injuries in low-impact accidents had become a social disease, consultant orthopaedic surgeon Garry Fenelon told the Circuit Civil Court on Wednesday in a claim involving young Peamount soccer star Lauren Keeler. In awarding the 20-year-old €11,350 damages for back and neck injuries, Judge John O’Connor said he did not believe her injuries were still ongoing following the January 2016 accident when she was a sixth-year student.
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The Irish Times, 13/11/19
Why the Dáil should support my bill to cut insurance costs
Insurance costs are squeezing incomes and crippling business. For many, insurance cover is not a choice but a legal necessity. Driving without it, for example, is illegal. That is why the insurance industry must be challenged and insurance costs reduced. Business is shutting up shop and that is damaging communities and hitting jobs. A recent survey by Public Participation Networks found that 83 per cent of voluntary and community sector groups faced insurance hikes in the past three years, with a significant number seeing their premiums double and even treble. For drivers, things are no better.
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The Independent, 13/11/19
Girl (10) who suffered fracture when radiator fell on her foot awarded €56K
A 10-year-old girl, who suffered a fracture to her left foot when a heavy radiator fell off the wall in her school, has been awarded just over €56,000 damages in the Circuit Civil Court. Barrister Eileen McAuley, counsel for Keira Kuts, of Carlough Road, Cabra, Dublin 7, told Judge John O’Connor the accident had happened in October 2016 when the girl was only seven.
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THURSDAY
The Economist, 14/11/19
Ireland’s insurance premiums have rocketed
In July 2015 Maria Bailey, then a 39-year-old local councillor in Dun Laoghaire, ran a 10km race in under 54 minutes. Her creditable time, recorded on the race’s website, came back to haunt her in May, when it emerged that Ms Bailey—now an mp—was seeking up to €60,000 in compensation for a fall, three weeks before the race, which she claimed had left her unable to run for three months. Enjoying a convivial night out, Ms Bailey had suffered minor injuries when she fell off an “unsupervised” swing in a trendy Dublin hotel. She withdrew her claim soon after news of it broke.
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Highland Radio, 14/11/19
Consumer Insurance Contracts Bill passes final stage in Dáil
The legislation which would reform insurance contracts, increase transparency and tilt the balance in favour of the consumer was brought to the Dail by the party’s Finance Spokesperson and Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty.
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