Apr 21, 2020
The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has provided the Federation with some important clarifications re: Mass Gatherings of >5000
- The Government statement concerning mass gatherings applies only to those events which require a licence from the relevant Local Authority;
- All mass gatherings are prohibited until 5 May based on the most recent public health advice;
- Separately, but related to this, there are a number of large scale events planned for the summer which are subject to a licensing process. This licensing process can be a lengthy process, requiring consultation with various bodies and stakeholders. It also carries risk of penalty in event of cancellation at short notice. Taking these practical, logistical and lead-in considerations into account, in the case of these particular events, Local Authorities have been advised by Government that event promoters should be informed that events requiring licences with an expected attendance in excess of 5,000 will not be considered for the period up to the end of August;
- As sporting events are generally excluded from the licensing process, this advice does not apply to those organising sporting events;
- In considering whether to proceed with events during the period to the end of August, sporting bodies should consider a number of factors, such as the lead-in time to organise, the most up to date public health advice as the situation evolves and the practicality/feasibility of running events while maintaining strict social distancing guidance;
- We expect further clarity next week as part of the overall Government plan for a phased return to the easing of restrictions.
Apr 15, 2020
Clubforce, official data partner of the Federation of Irish Sport, are hosting weekly webinars covering fundraising online during the COVID-19 crisis. In addition, Clubforce have an introductory offer where organisations/clubs can sign up for online lotto and not incur a sign-up fee for the first three months to help them get their online fundraising off the ground. The organisation/club will need a valid lotto license granted by the local district court to avail of this offer.
The below link will provide some more information on the weekly webinars.
https://clubforce.com/weekly-clubforce-webinar/
This includes registration for upcoming webinars and recordings of previous webinars. To access the recordings of previous webinars, simply provide your name and email address.
Apr 14, 2020
Our partners OSK have compiled a detailed list of supports and information sources for businesses during COVID-19. We highly recommend you take a look at the full list here
Apr 14, 2020
The Alliance for Insurance Reform has welcomed the announcement by the Department of Finance of a common approach by insurers to two of the key insurance-related issues affecting policyholders during the COVID-19 crisis.
The approach was announced in a press release this afternoon by Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and the Minister of State with Responsibility for Insurance Michael D’Arcy and applies to the insurers that underwrite the majority of Ireland’s liability insurance market.
Speaking as the measures were announced, Peter Boland, Director of the Alliance said “We welcome this initial response by the insurance industry to the crisis policyholders are facing right now. Needless to say we will need to see how the broad statement with regard to forbearance manifests itself on the ground, ideally in terms of policy extensions or refunds. We would ask the individual insurers to confirm the level of reductions they propose and the timings of those reductions. Because of the nature of this crisis, we need clarity and a sense of real urgency applied to everything to do with insurance so that it can be a help, not a hindrance.
“We would ask freedom-of-service insurers selling cover into Ireland from abroad, as well as Aviva here in Ireland, to adopt the same customer-focused approach. Equally, we want to see the same approach applied to motorists and to policyholders with valid business interruption claims.”
“Finally, we would encourage the Ministers and everyone else involved in steering Ireland’s recovery from COVID-19 to prioritise real insurance reform so that SMEs and voluntary organisations can play their part in that recovery.”
ENDS
For further details contact:
Peter Boland
ALLIANCE FOR INSURANCE REFORM
TEL: 086 826 6036
WEB: insurancereform.ie
FB: /insurancereformireland
TW: @InsuranceRefIre
Apr 9, 2020
As members of the Alliance for Insurance Reform the Federation supports their work during this time. Please see updates of their activities below.
The alliance are in very regular contact with the Department of Finance regarding what we are looking for from the Minister, specifically:
- Set up a fast-track system to assess whether individual policies cover business interruption during the crisis
- Get commitments from insurers that they will pause, extend or gives a rebate on policies covering organisations that have closed down for the duration of the crisis
- Get clarity on media reports that some insurers intend suspending cover on premises still closed after 30 days due to the crisis
Insurance Ireland have confirmed to the Department that:
- “Whilst most policy wordings are clear in terms of what cover is provided and what cover exclusions are in place, we agree that there could be some cases where there is a doubt about the meaning of a term. In such cases insurers are committed to fully adhere to the requirements of the existing Consumer Protection Code to treat customers fairly and, where appropriate, to give the benefit of the doubt to the customer in adjudicating a claim.
- We agree that the Government advice to close a business in the context of Covid-19 should be treated as a direction. Each policy is different and there may well be other factors which lead to the adjudication of whether a claim is valid or not.”
Please note that this applies to Insurance Ireland members and that freedom-of-service (FOS) insurers from other countries are not tied to these commitments.
