News - Federation of Irish Sport

Alliance for Insurance Reform – Enough is Enough campaign launch targeting unjustifiable claims and the harm they cause

Jul 31, 2023

The Alliance for Insurance Reform welcomes the commencement of legislation aimed at rebalancing the duty of care between occupiers and the public. Speaking today, Alliance Board member and CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport, Mary O’Connor said: “The legislation rebalances the duty of care in a way that is fair, practical and proportionate. The new legislation will only work if it is implemented in the spirit it was intended by the judiciary, insurers, the legal profession, and ultimately, by the Irish public.” Tomorrow the Alliance is launching its ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’ campaign, calling for an end to unjustifiable personal injury claims that are damaging Irish society. The Alliance recognises the importance of a robust personal injury system to compensate those who have been injured due to the negligence of others in a way that is fair and proportionate. That is why liability insurance is there.

Alliance for Insurance Reform launches its Enough is Enough campaign to mark the commencement of legislation rebalancing the duty of care between occupiers and the public.
“The new legislation will only work if it is implemented in the spirit it was intended by the judiciary, insurers, the legal profession, and ultimately, by the Irish public.”
Unjustifiable personal injury claims are made where there is no negligence. It is often assumed that these claims are victimless, with insurance companies picking up the bill. The reality is that insurers simply pass the cost on to policyholders – voluntary and community groups, charities, sports and cultural organisations, small businesses and the State.

Too often however, unjustifiable personal injury claims are made where there is no negligence. It is often assumed that these claims are victimless, with insurance companies picking up the bill. The reality is that insurers simply pass the cost on to policyholders – voluntary and community groups, charities, sports and cultural organisations, small businesses and the State – who also spend enormous amounts of time and effort defending such claims.

Alliance Board member and owner of Kidspace play centres in Rathfarnham and Rathcoole, Tracy Sheridan, said: “Every person at one time or another has heard a story of somebody getting compensation and our reaction had been that what happened was entirely their own fault. These awards come at a cost in the form of higher insurance premiums. As a society we need to say ‘stop’, as unwarranted claims are not a victimless pursuit.”

That is one of the main reasons Ireland pays many multiples of other countries in insurance costs and it undermines the fabric of Irish society. This is not sustainable and the road we need to travel is clear:

Unjustifiable personal injury claims must stop.
Lawyers must stop facilitating them.
Doctors and other experts must stop facilitating them.
Insurers must stop settling them. Settling dubious claims in a stable insurance market may be justifiable, but not in a reforming market like Ireland, where continuing to settle will undermine the reforms.
The Judiciary must interpret the new legislation in the spirit in which it was intended by the Legislature.

Justice Minister, Helen McEntee said “These measures strike a new and reasonable balance between the responsibilities of the owner or operator of a premises to keep their customers and visitors safe, and what individuals themselves must do when entering a business, club or community building for example. The passage of this legislation marks an important step in our efforts to make insurance more available and cheaper.”[1]

From the perspective of voluntary and community groups, charities, sports and cultural organisations as well as small businesses, the message is clear: Enough is Enough!

The Alliance for Insurance Reform brings together 48 civic and business organisations from across Ireland, representing over 55,000 members, 700,000 employees, 614,000 volunteers and 374,000 students in highlighting the negative impact of persistently high premiums and calling for real reforms that will quickly reduce liability and motor insurance premiums to affordable levels and keep them that way.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: contact@insurancereform.ie or Alliance CEO, Brian Hanley at 086 8620 974.

[1] https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/6b16c-minister-mcentee-welcomes-the-passage-of-bill-giving-effect-to-major-insurance-reforms/#:~:text=Minister%20McEntee%20said%3A,or%20community%20building%20for%20example.

Clann Credo Backs Local Sports Because #SportMatters!

Jul 27, 2023

Clann Credo to host Sports Capital Webinar

Calling all governing bodies and Sports Partnerships! If you know local clubs or community groups that are preparing an application for the Sports Capital & Equipment Programme, Clann Credo – Community Loan Finance can help!

We will host an online information event about how we can help groups who are applying for the Sports Capital & Equipment Programme. The event is on Thursday 10^th August at 8pm, it’s free, and anyone who is interested can register here.

Who are we? Clann Credo is a not-for-profit finance provider. We give loans to projects that improve the quality of life in local communities – and we know that sports do that. We help projects to find ways to generate income to repay our loans. We won’t provide a loan if it’s not right for the project and we never look for personal guarantees.

Clann Credo has worked with hundreds of sports groups nationwide to make successful applications, and to move efficiently to the implementation of their development plans. We stay the course with clubs from their initial vision through to application and onto implementation. Clann Credo can also connect clubs at the beginning of their project with clubs that have completed their project and can offer advice.

Our expert Social Finance Executives are located around the country and have in depth knowledge that will make the application process easier. You can find our local representative here www.clanncredo.ie/contactus – please encourage clubs and groups to contact their local Social Finance Executive.

If a project qualifies, Clann Credo can provide a letter of loan offer to include in their application to the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme. This will improve their chances of securing funding by boosting their ‘Own Funds’ contribution. Applications with a higher level of ‘Own Funds’ are more successful.

The application process takes time, so please encourage local clubs and groups to contact us as soon as possible.

For more information check out our website www.clanncredo.ie or contact us – info@clanncredo.ie / 01 400 2100.

Alliance welcomes publication of liability insurance report – 12% reduction in awards demands reduction in premiums – legal fees increasing

Jul 13, 2023

The Alliance for Insurance Reform welcomes the publication by the Central Bank of the 1st Mid-Year NCID Employers’ and Public Liability Insurance Report.

Alliance welcomes publication of the NCID Liability Insurance Report
With the cost of settlements down 12% insurers cannot continue to delay premium reductions and increases would be unconscionable

Legal fees per case are increasing across all channels with a 57% increase for claims settled directly, 17% increase for those settled through PIAB and 9% for the cases that are settled through litigation

Legal fees account for almost 38% of settlement costs in 86% of cases – a cost that goes directly to the cost of insurance.

Commenting on the release of the report, Michael Magner, owner of the Vienna Woods Hotel in Cork and board member of the Alliance for Insurance Reform said: ‘the data contained in this report allows for a meaningful analysis of the liability insurance sector in Ireland as the Judicial Guidelines take effect. This is critical as liability insurance premiums are all too often a crippling cost for small businesses, voluntary and community groups, sports and cultural organisations and charities.’

He continued: ‘The total cost of settling liability claims is down by 12% due to a reduction in the volume of settled claims and the average cost of settling them. Importantly, it appears that insurers are sticking to the Judicial Guidelines in terms of direct settlements. In light of these reductions there is a compelling argument to pass on savings to liability policy holders without any further delay and any premium increases would simply be unconscionable.’

The Alliance calls on the Minister for Finance Michael McGrath and the Minister of State Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (who holds particular responsibility for insurance) to ‘hold insurers feet to the fire’ on this and deliver the long overdue premium reductions.

The NCID figures also reveal that legal fees account for 38% of the total cost of litigated personal injury settlements in Ireland – a cost that goes directly to the cost of insurance.[1] The report also indicates that legal fees per case are increasing across all channels since 2020 with a 57% increase for claims settled directly, 17% increase for those settled through PIAB and 9% for cases settled through litigation (the majority of cases).[2] Alliance Board member Michael Magner called on the Minister for Justice ‘to expedite the ongoing review of legal fees[3] and take all necessary steps to ensure a meaningful and sustainable reduction in legal fees.’

See Table 11, p. 20 of the NCID report.
See Table 11, p. 20 of the NCID report.
https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2023/0601/1386761-insurance-campaigners-seek-overdue-report-on-legal-fees/

Justice Plan 2022, p.28

Notes:

Source: 1^st Mid-Year NCID Employers’ and Public Liability Insurance Report, Central Bank, Table 11, p. 20

Sports Capital & Equipment Programme 2023 announced with increased thresholds for local and regional projects

Jul 12, 2023

From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

Published on 12 July 2023

• Local project maximum grant increased from €150,000 to €200,000

• Regional project maximum grant increased from €300,000 to €500,000

• Specific focus on climate action, sustainability and gender equality

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin T.D., and the Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education, Thomas Byrne T.D., today announced that a new round of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) will open for new applications from 17 July. The SCEP is the Government’s primary vehicle for providing support to sports clubs and communities to develop sports infrastructure around the country.

Applicants for local projects can now apply for up to €200,000, increased from the previous maximum grant of €150,000. The maximum valid grant available for projects deemed to be of regional significance has been increased from €300,000 to €500,000.

In addition, this year’s SCEP “Guide to Making an Application” has a focus on climate action and sustainability for the first time, supporting local clubs to take steps to reduce their energy consumption and applying for more efficient lighting.

For the first time in the history of the SCEP, projects will only be considered for grant support if access is guaranteed to men and women on equal terms. As one of the stated objectives of the Programme is to increase female participation, all applications for funding of women-only facilities will be deemed valid for consideration.

Minister Martin said:

“This is excellent news for sports organisations that have plans to improve their facilities and wish to avail of support. The Programme has already made an enormous difference to communities in every part of the country. To encourage as many people to participate in sport and physical activity as possible, we need to have appropriate sports facilities and equipment. The new round of the Programme will again prioritise applications from disadvantaged areas, those that target people with disabilities, and projects that share facilities amongst different organisations and sports. In relation to changes to the scheme, I am very pleased that applications for improvements to swimming pools will be accepted for the first time. I also welcome the fact that, for the first time, the “Guide to Making an Application”, as published today, has a specific focus on climate action and sustainability issues.”

Minister Byrne said:

“I have seen at first hand the huge difference that Sports Capital and Equipment Programme grants make to sports clubs and community groups across the country. I am also very aware of the impact that construction inflation has had on our sports clubs and community groups in recent years and I am delighted to note that we are increasing the maximum grants available under the Programme. Ensuring equality in sport has been a particular priority for me since my appointment. Under this round of the Programme, applicants that do not provide access to facilities on similar terms to male and female users will not be eligible for capital funding. As one of the stated objectives of this Programme is to increase female participation, all applications for funding of the very small number of women-only facilities will be deemed valid for consideration. This new requirement is highlighted in the Guide to Making an Application which is available to download on the Department’s website.”

The first step in obtaining a grant is to register on the Department’s online system

and the Ministers encouraged any clubs that are not already registered to do so now. Clubs can register at www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie .

Once registered, all applications must be made on the same website. The system will be open for applications from 17 July to 8 September.

The “Guide to Making an Application” was also published on the Department’s website today and can be found here: gov.ie/sportscapital . The Guide essentially sets out the terms and conditions of the Programme. A review of the 2020 round of the Programme was published in May and all of the main recommendations have been included in the Guide.

Notes for editors

The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme is the Government’s primary vehicle for supporting the development of sports facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment. Grants are available to voluntary, not-for profit sports clubs, community groups, National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of sport and local authorities. Third level colleges, Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and schools may only apply for funding jointly with sports clubs or organisations.

A detailed list of projects that the programme funds can be found in the “Guide to Making an Application” and includes:

• Natural grass sports pitches, tracks and courts (including pitch drainage)

• Energy Efficient Floodlighting

• Artificial sports pitches, tracks, courts and multi-use games areas

• Security fencing, ball stop netting and goal posts

• Hurling walls / handball alleys

• Building or refurbishment of dressing rooms, showers and toilets

• Building or refurbishment of sports halls and gyms

• Non-personal sports equipment.

• Modifications to sports facilities to reduce energy consumption

• Any other capital projects that are clearly sporting in nature and that will increase participation in sport or improve performance

Further information about the programme including details of all previous allocations can be found at gov.ie/sportscapital .

The Review of the 2020 Round can be found at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/84105-review-of-spo¬rts-capital-and-equipment-programme-2020/

Applications can be made online only from 9am on 17 July until 5pm on 8th September 2023.

Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Announce Details of 2023 Sports Capital and Equipment Programme

Jul 12, 2023

The 2023 Sports Capital and Equipment Programme will open for applications at 9am on Monday 17th July 2023 until 5pm on Friday 8th September 2023. The deadline for registration is 5pm on Friday 25th August 2023.

Full details and a 2023 Guide to Making an Application can be found at https://www.gov.ie/en/service/d13385-sports-capital-programme/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/sportscapital/

CEO Meeting with Minister Thomas Byrne, TD

Jul 7, 2023

Meeting with Minister for Sport

On June 28^th accompanied by Bryan Hughes, Senior Associate, A&L Goodbody our CEO Mary O’Connor met with Minister for Sport Thomas Byrne and department officials regarding proposals for Taxation Reform for the sector under Action 3.7 of National Sport Policy Action plan. The Federation is the lead body on this action as set out in the National Sports Policy, Sports Action Plan 2021-2023. The action states ‘Taxation reform can assist this drive for more funding diversity in Irish sport, not just for high performance sport but also for grassroots sport.’ Examples of how taxation reform could be implemented are:

- Elimination of €250 eligibility threshold for S. 847A TCA relief on donations to sporting capital projects
- Extension of S. 847A TCA relief to include donations for certain current expenditure.
- VAT cost mitigation and potential for reduced rates
- Granting charitable status to NGBs
- Incentivisation of personal exercise opportunities

A more detailed approach to taxation reform will be set out in the Federation Pre-Budget Submission in the coming weeks.

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