Trampoline park insurance
Deputy Fitzpatrick raised difficulty obtaining insurance for an indoor trampoline park despite Government promises to reform the insurance sector. Minister Fleming said he had met insurers, reform groups and brokers and that work on the issue was continuing, though no solution had yet been found.
Page 28 of the programme for Government states that the Government will continue to prioritise reform of the insurance sector with particular emphasis on motor, public liability and employer's liability. I spoke to the Department of the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, a few weeks ago and mentioned a trampoline park in Dundalk. In fairness the Minister of State has given us a bit of help for outdoor activities and leisure but for some unknown reason we just cannot seem to do the same for indoor activities. The trampoline park has contacted insurance companies in the South but there was no interest whatsoever. When she contacted the UK, it said that Ireland is in a very dodgy situation. Imagine calling us a dodgy situation. They said it would be at least two years before they get involved in Ireland because of the high payout of insurance at the moment. Can the Minister of State give me an update? This trampoline park is closing on 12 December. Can the Minister of State help us to get some kind of insurance policy? This trampoline park is doing a lot of good for people with disabilities and those on social welfare.
Comment on this
I thank the Deputy for raising that. He has raised the issue with me and we have been working on it. Yesterday I personally had a meeting with Insurance Ireland, which represents all the major insurance companies in Ireland, the Alliance for Insurance Reform, which produced a list of specific areas where there are problems, and Brokers Ireland. All three of them and myself met yesterday to discuss these pressure points. Work is continuing on it. A number of areas have immediate deadlines. The brokers are trying to source insurance wherever possible. We do not have a solution to date for that particular list which we examined yesterday. We are working on it. For the record, insurance is one of those areas in which we actually had a hard Brexit. The trade and co-operation agreement, TCA, covers lots of areas but essentially, although in the financial services most companies were able to plan and move staff here and get authorisation in advance, that sector of the economy actually had a hard Brexit.