Mar 10, 2021
Calls on insurers to pass on reductions immediately and in full
The Alliance for Insurance Reform has welcomed confirmation from Government that the new Judicial Personal Injuries Guidelines will take effect in April.
Peter Boland, Director of the Alliance, said “We welcome the sense of urgency in the Cabinet’s approval today of plans by the Minister of Justice to implement the new guidelines. Now it is time for insurers to outline very clearly how they intend to reduce premiums to reflect these developments.”
Tracy Sheridan, owner of Kidspace play centres in Rathfarnham and Rathcoole and director of the Alliance said “Insurers have repeatedly and consistently maintained to the Cost of Insurance Working Group, the Personal Injuries Commission, the Oireachtas Finance Committee and elsewhere that the cost of claims drives premium costs. This analysis has been verified by the Central Bank’s National Claims Information Database Private Motor Insurance Reports. The changes implemented by the Judicial Council and accelerated today by Government mean that the risk associated with every policy will reduce sharply from next month. This must be immediately reflected in renewals for motor and liability insurance cover.”
Eoin McCambridge, Managing Director of McCambridge’s of Galway and Director of the Alliance said “Government must act robustly if necessary to ensure that the gains from the Judicial Guidelines and today’s Cabinet decision are passed on immediately and in full by insurers. Any delays or half-hearted measures will undermine the credibility of the reform process. Furthermore, if insurers do not deliver on the reasonable expectations of policyholders, Government must legislate to monitor and hold them to account in the way that the UK authorities recently have with insurers there, following reforms.”
In conclusion Peter Boland said “It must be remembered that getting insurance costs down means cutting the general damages paid out for minor, fully recovered injuries to reflect international norms. We have written to An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, in his role as Chair of the Cabinet Committee Sub-Group on Insurance Reform, asking Government to take control of the process and cap general damages such that damages for minor injuries are reduced by an average of 80% compared to the previous Book of Quantum guidelines. Equally, the committed–to reform of PIAB and the rebalancing of the duty of care must now be accelerated. But in the meantime, insurers must act in good faith on the progress already made.”
ENDS
NOTES:
“Insurers repeatedly maintained to the Cost of Insurance Working Group, the Personal Injuries Commission, the Oireachtas Finance Committee and elsewhere that the cost of claims drives premium costs.
The insurance industry and other stakeholders have consistently pointed to increased claims inflation and claims frequency in recent years as the primary reason for the rise in cost of insurance. P42, Cost of Insurance Working Group REPORT ON THE COST OF MOTOR INSURANCE
Insurance Ireland representatives on the PIC have repeatedly stated that, as award levels and associated costs account for the bulk of the cost of insurance, if claims costs come down and are maintained at a consistent and predictable level then premiums will also reduce accordingly. P4, Second and Final Report of the Personal Injuries Commission, July 2018
“This analysis has been verified by the Central Bank’s National Claims Information Database Private Motor Insurance Reports”
See Alliance for Insurance Reform Fact Sheet No. 2 “Who Gets What?” graphic.
“If insurers do not deliver on the reasonable expectations of policyholders, Government must legislate to monitor and hold them to account in the way that the UK authorities recently have.”
“Therefore, at Report stage in the House of Lords, the government committed to bring forward an amendment in the Commons to provide an effective means of reporting on the public commitment made by the insurance sector. The aim of this amendment is to enable insurers to demonstrate that savings have been passed on to consumers and thereby hold insurers to account, in a way that is appropriate given the commercial sensitivities associated with this type of information. In developing this approach, the intent has been to balance the need to:
- Hold insurers to account in a way that is sufficiently rigorous; and
- Avoid intervening in an already competitive market or placing disproportionate burdens or insurers or regulators.”
Treasury Policy Note – expected Regulations to require insurers to provide information relating to the impacts of the Civil Liability Bill
“Damages for minor injuries account for the vast majority of compensation payouts”: See PIAB – Insights into the Personal Injury Environment, November 2019
Overall, the Alliance expects general damages for minor, fully recovered soft tissue injuries to be recalibrated in the manner reflected in the ISME Fair Book of Quantum which corresponds with our own independent academic advice.
The Alliance for Insurance Reform brings together 41 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. Our members include:
- AOIFE Ireland (Association of Irish Festival Events)
- Car Rental Council of Ireland
- Childminding Ireland
- Coach Tourism & Transport Council of Ireland
- Community Reuse Network Ireland
- Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association
- Cork Business Association
- Early Childhood Ireland
- Family Business Network Ireland
- Federation of Irish Sport
- Galway Chamber
- Galway City Business Association
- Galway County Public Participation Network (PPN)
- Home and Community Care Ireland
- Ireland Active
- Ireland’s Association for Adventure Tourism
- Irish Caravan and Camping Council
- Irish Concrete Federation
- Irish Hotels Federation
- Irish Road Haulage Association
- Irish Showman’s Guild
- Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network
- Irish Travel Agents Association
- ISME
- Licensed Vintners Association
- Motorsport Ireland
- National Campaign for the Arts
- Nursing Homes Ireland
- Play Activity and Leisure Ireland
- Quick Service Food Alliance
- Restaurants Association of Ireland
- Retail Excellence
- RGDATA
- Sligo PPN
- Society of the Irish Motor Industry
- South Dublin County PPN
- Sport Ireland
- Union of Students in Ireland
- Vintners Federation of Ireland
- Volunteer Ireland
- The Wheel (Ireland’s national association for community, voluntary and charitable organisations)
For further details contact:
Peter Boland
ALLIANCE FOR INSURANCE REFORM
TEL: 086 826 6036
WEB: insurancereform.ie
FB: /insurancereformireland
TW: @InsuranceRefIre
Mar 10, 2021
The Federation of Irish Sport is delighted to announce a three-year extension with existing audit partners, OSK. The partnership, which has gone from strength to strength since 2010, is part of a suite of partners that offer essential services to benefit some 110 sporting associations that are represented by the Federation.
OSK, who already provide audit, accounting and financial management services to a number of Irish sporting bodies, are recognised as one of Ireland’s leading audit and accounting firms providing quality and professional business advice to Irish businesses including SMEs, multi-national groups, government bodies and sole traders. OSK offer expertise in audit and accounting services, business advisory, small business support and taxation.
Commenting on the announcement, Federation of Irish Sport CEO, Mary O’Connor said “We are delighted to be renewing our partnership with OSK for a further three years. Since joining forces with the Federation in 2010, OSK have been an important and valuable part of our partnership suite. They are tried and trusted by many of our members for their audit and accountancy needs and we are delighted to be able to continue to endorse their work. We look forward to working closely with the team in OSK to continue to develop our partnership and add value to all FIS members over the next three years”.
Deirdre McDermott, Audit Director at OSK said “OSK are very pleased to renew our partnership with the Federation of Irish Sport and continue to provide audit, accounting and financial management services to sporting bodies throughout Ireland. With a genuine passion for sport, the team in OSK understand the challenges of running sport’s governing bodies and local sports partnerships and are experienced in delivering practical solutions while complying with all regulatory requirements and obligations. OSK look forward to continuing to provide their financial expertise to the Federation’s members”
For any further enquiries about the services of OSK please contact Deirdre McDermott at mcdermottd@osk.ie or visit https://www.osk.ie/sectors/sport/
Mar 9, 2021
- By the age of 13-15 many girls have labelled themselves “not sporty” and are living by this label, with few attempts to counter it
- The most powerful barrier that prevents inactive girls from taking part in sport and physical activity is not feeling good enough to join in
- Report shows there aren’t enough opportunities for girls to take part and have carefree fun with friends while being active
Sport Ireland today released the Adolescent Girls Get Active Research Report, which was undertaken to discover how to encourage teenage girls, particularly those currently disengaged with sport and exercise, to take part in regular physical activity.
The research, commissioned by Sport Ireland, and funded through the Dormant Accounts Fund, was undertaken by Women in Sport UK. The project focused on teenage girls in Ireland with the aim of identifying their attitudes, needs and desires in relation to sport and physical activity; identify their experienced challenges and barriers to accessing sport and physical activity and ultimately develop informed communication strategies to encourage increased participation.
Speaking at the release of the research report, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media, Catherine Martin TD commented: “To see the motivations and attitudes of this group of young girls so clearly outlined is insightful. For the first time we have a true understanding of what is causing teenage girls in Ireland to drop out of sport, or what is preventing them from getting involved in the first place. Sport and physical activity can be a powerful force in a person’s life and we are now armed with the knowledge to reframe sport for teenage girls and to make it a positive and powerful force in their lives. My vision for women in sport is that of one where women have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential, while enjoying a lifelong involvement in sport. It is encouraging to see the research today which supports this commitment with in-depth research and tangible communication strategies that can be adopted to really encourage our teenage girls to engage and re-engage with sport.”
Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers TD welcomed the study: “The National Sports Policy 2018-2027 sets out the ambitious target of eliminating the active sports participation gradient by 2027. Significant work by Sport Ireland as well as National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships is lowering this gradient and today’s research, with these tangible outputs and guidance to programme developers, will ensure further progress in eliminating the drop out and inactivity levels among teenage girls. The research clearly outlines the perceived barriers to sport for our teenage girls. It shows that the feeling that they are “not good enough” or “are not sporty” is often rooted in their experience of traditional, more dominant team sports and the stereotypes reinforced in popular culture and experiences. There is however an understanding of the physical health benefits of sport and physical activity, teenage girls value the mental health benefits of exercise and there is an aspiration to be fit and healthy. It is now our job, as leaders in the sports sector, to leverage the learnings in this research, broaden the concept of sport so it is accessible and inclusive to all girls and not just the sporty few and provide more opportunities to engage”.
The qualitative research, conducted online between August and October 2020, involved a deep exploration the lives, behaviours and attitudes to sport, of teenage girls’ aged 13-18 in both rural and urban areas.
Sport Ireland Chief Executive, John Treacy commented, “We are delighted to be able to present the sector with this hugely important body of research and the tangible principles that they can now take and adopt in their work. It is important to recognise that disengaged girls may simply need different or adapted pathways and approaches to attract and sustain their interest in sport and physical activity. The sector is now armed with this knowledge and the insights to really make an impact, to adapt processes and programmes to ensure that girls are engaged in a way that is meaningful to them. I look forward to seeing the impact of the research in participation levels in the future”.
Despite the physical contrasts in rural and urban living, the research found that the underlying wants and needs of teenage girls are often similar. They feel there is a lack of social space for teens where they feel welcomed, wanted and included. They feel there are limited opportunities to try new things, learn new skills and ultimately feel good about themselves.
By exploring their lives and really trying to understand the desires and attitudes of teenage girls, they researchers have been able to establish five key anchors that really matter to teenage girls. Unsurprisingly, friends and friendships are central to a girl’s support network and they strongly prioritise time with friends above all else. Independence and opportunity, social connection, moments of pride and keeping on top of it all and managing the many teenage pressures are all other aspects that matter to teenage girls.
The Adolescent Girls Get Active Research identifies the opportunity for sport and exercise to fill a void in girls’ lives but highlights that an understanding of the anchors, as well as the barriers to participation is essential to make sport and physical activity relevant and meaningful to young girls.
Capability and the feeling of not being “good enough” is the most powerful barrier that prevents inactive girls from taking part in sport. The research shows that teenage girls in Ireland have a narrow, and often negative experience of a small number of traditional (and dominant) team sports in Ireland, and think this is all that sport is and can be. Girls associate ‘sportiness’ with team and contact sports, so girls who are interested in exercise do not feel targeted with sporting initiatives.
Building on the insights and anchors and the knowledge of the barriers, the research established 8 Principles for Success to engage and connect with teenage girls and to support them to embrace sport and physical activity into their lives:
- No judgement
- Invoke Excitement
- Clear emotional reward
- Open eyes to what is there
- Build on existing habits
- Give girls a voice & choice
- Champion what’s in it for them
- Expand image of what ‘sporty’ looks like
Sports organisations can use these 8 Principles for Success to check and challenge existing programmes to enhance appeal and relevance for the target audience. They can also be used to innovate and develop completely new initiatives through a teenage girl lens.
Director of Participation and Ethics, Sport Ireland, Dr. Una May outlined the need for this research: “Evidence shows that participation levels plummet during adolescence with just 7% of girls aged 14-15 meeting the recommended physical activity levels. We also know that girls who are active in their teenage years and develop a love of sport are much more likely to establish a life-long relationship with sport and exercise in to adulthood. By really understanding the motivations and attitudes of teenage girls we can now confidently review existing programmes to enhance appeal and relevance for the target audience. We can also use these principles to innovate and develop completely new initiatives. ”.
Sport Ireland Women in Sport Lead, Nora Stapleton commented, “There are many organisations, researchers and others who are working in this space to try and develop interventions to encourage teenage girls to be more active, or to simply stem the dropout rate from sport. I hope that this document can support the work that they are doing. From a Sport Ireland perspective, we plan to utilise the findings and principles for success and develop a number of pilot projects to run in conjunction with the network of LSPs. We have an exciting Hackathon project launching later today which will provide an opportunity to the public to contribute their ideas to get girls active so I’d encourage everyone to keep an eye out for that and to get involved.”
Ends
Further Information:
David Gash
Communications Manager, Sport Ireland
087-2277643
dgash@sportireland.ie
Notes to editor:
Full report is available on the Sport Ireland website
Mar 8, 2021
Calls on Government to intervene immediately and do the right thing
The Alliance for Insurance Reform has reacted with dismay to the new Personal Injuries Guidelines published today by the Judicial Council and has called on the Government to immediately intervene to do the right thing for hard-pressed motorists, charities, voluntary and community groups, sports and cultural organisations and SMEs severely affected by insurance costs, by dramatically reducing the proposed damages for minor injuries.
The new judicial guidelines are set to replace the current Book of Quantum guidelines on the amounts awarded for personal injuries.
Peter Boland, Director of the Alliance, said “Getting insurance costs down means cutting the general damages paid out for minor, fully recovered injuries to reflect international norms and norms already established by the Court of Appeal. It would have taken reductions of 80% to the damages handed out for such injuries in order to do so. In advance of the adoption of these guidelines, we called on the judiciary to have regard to the common good in their deliberations but they have ignored this plea and we are dismayed at what they are now proposing.”
Examples of minor injuries that remain way too high following the Judicial Council review include:
- Minor thumb injury (no sprain, no breakage). Was €21,200 reduced to €12,000 (-43%) . Currently €4,582 in England & Wales
- Whiplash. Minor, substantially recovered. Was €15,700. Now €6,000 (-62%). Currently €4,192 in England & Wales (will drop to €1,492 in May). Up to €1,125 in Germany. Unlikely to receive compensation in Sweden.
- Whiplash. Minor, full recovery expected. Was €19,400. Now €12,000 (-38%). Currently €7,605 in England & Wales (will drop to €4,763 in May).
- Whiplash. Moderate. Was €30,200. Now €23,000 (-24%). Currently €13,225 in England & Wales
- Back. Minor, full recovery expected. Was €18,400. Now €12,000 (-35%). Currently €7,605 in England & Wales
- Ankle. Minor. Was €23,100. Now €12,000 (-48%). Currently €7,413 in England & Wales
“We have now written to An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, in his role as Chair of the Cabinet Committee Sub-Group on Insurance Reform, asking Government to intervene immediately, take control of the situation and cap general damages such that damages for minor injuries are reduced by an average of 80% compared to the previous Book of Quantum guidelines. The Law Reform Commission has made it clear that such an action would be entirely constitutional subject to certain safeguards and it is up to the Government to do the right thing now for the sake of the common good.
“In the meantime, any changes implemented as a result of today’s announcement should be immediately passed on in reductions by insurers to their policyholders.“
Eoin McCambridge, managing director of McCambridge’s of Galway and director of the Alliance said “The single biggest element of the cost of insurance, as determined by the Cost of Insurance Working Group, the Personal Injuries Commission and the Central Bank’s National Claims Information Database, is compensation; and general damages for minor injuries account for the vast majority of compensation payouts. What we award for minor, fully recovered injuries in Ireland is 4.4 times higher than in England & Wales and further multiples higher than other European jurisdictions. An 80% reduction on minor injuries would only bring us down to where England and Wales currently are and would still be nowhere near the equivalent damages in other European countries – and England and Wales are further slashing their damages for minor whiplash injuries this May.
“We are not talking about damages for serious injuries here. Where a person is seriously injured due the negligence of someone else, they must be properly compensated and that is what insurance is there for. What we are talking about are the bumps, bruises and mild, fully recovered whiplash injuries where treatment ends when the legal action is finished. We reward these injuries at a level unprecedented in Europe and these are the awards that are damaging Irish society.”
Tracy Sheridan, owner of Kidspace play centres in Rathfarnham and Rathcoole and director of the Alliance said “Insurance costs remain an existential issue for Irish SMEs, charities, sports and cultural organisations, voluntary and community groups. Government must move immediately on this because the Irish economy is not going to recover from Covid-19 through SMEs, or Irish society through the voluntary & community sector, unless insurance is sorted.”
END
NOTES:
“The single biggest element of the cost of insurance…is compensation”: See Alliance for Insurance Reform Fact Sheet No. 2 “Who Gets What?” graphic.
“Damages for minor injuries account for the vast majority of compensation payouts”: See PIAB – Insights into the Personal Injury Environment, November 2019
“And England and Wales are further slashing their damages for minor whiplash injuries this May.” https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=462cc73f-7e17-4547-a22a-0b4c0327c24f
“What we are talking about are the bumps, bruises and mild, fully recovered whiplash injuries where treatment ends when the legal action is finished.”: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/most-whiplash-patients-end-treatment-when-legal-action-finished-1.4041918
Overall, the Alliance expects general damages for minor, fully recovered soft tissue injuries to be recalibrated in the manner reflected in the ISME Fair Book of Quantum which corresponds with our own independent academic advice.
The Alliance for Insurance Reform brings together 41 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. Our members include:
- AOIFE Ireland (Association of Irish Festival Events)
- Car Rental Council of Ireland
- Childminding Ireland
- Coach Tourism & Transport Council of Ireland
- Community Reuse Network Ireland
- Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association
- Cork Business Association
- Early Childhood Ireland
- Family Business Network Ireland
- Federation of Irish Sport
- Galway Chamber
- Galway City Business Association
- Galway County Public Participation Network (PPN)
- Home and Community Care Ireland
- Ireland Active
- Ireland’s Association for Adventure Tourism
- Irish Caravan and Camping Council
- Irish Concrete Federation
- Irish Hotels Federation
- Irish Road Haulage Association
- Irish Showman’s Guild
- Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network
- Irish Travel Agents Association
- ISME
- Licensed Vintners Association
- Motorsport Ireland
- National Campaign for the Arts
- Nursing Homes Ireland
- Play Activity and Leisure Ireland
- Quick Service Food Alliance
- Restaurants Association of Ireland
- Retail Excellence
- RGDATA
- Sligo PPN
- Society of the Irish Motor Industry
- South Dublin County PPN
- Sport Ireland
- Union of Students in Ireland
- Vintners Federation of Ireland
- Volunteer Ireland
- The Wheel (Ireland’s national association for community, voluntary and charitable organisations)
For further details contact:
Peter Boland
ALLIANCE FOR INSURANCE REFORM
TEL: 086 826 6036
WEB: insurancereform.ie
FB: /insurancereformireland
TW: @InsuranceRefIre
Mar 2, 2021
With Funding from IHREC, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, the UNESCO Chair at MTU and key sports stakeholders in Ireland namely the Federation of Irish Sport, Sport Ireland, the GAA, Sport Against Racism Ireland and the Central Statistics Office have launched TRUST Ireland. TRUST Ireland is designed to socialise sport, human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals among government agents, the sports sector, higher education and training, and rights holders on the island of Ireland.
As part of Munster Technological University’s Innovation and Enterprise Month, TRUST Ireland are launching a photo and caption competition. Entrants are invited to submit a photo or video on what “human rights in and through sport” means to them, along with a short (240 character) caption explaining their choice. Entries can be original or curated photos or videos.
The competition is open to people of all ages both across Ireland and internationally. In particular, input from rightsholder groups including people with disabilities; women and girls; Travellers and ethnic minorities; the LGBTQI+ community; asylum seekers, refugees and migrants; and disadvantaged or marginalised communities are sought.
Prizes in the form of vouchers will be offered in the following categories:
- Best overall entry
- Best picture / video
- Best caption
- Youth award
- Popular vote award
- Best MTU entry
Key dates:
March 1st 19:00 (GMT). An online webinar will launch the competition. Webinar Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89172930476
March 1st – 19th: The competition will be open for submissions which can be submitted here: http://unescoittralee.com/trust-photo-caption-competition/
March 25th 19:00 (GMT). An online webinar will be held to showcase entries and announce the winners in all categories. Webinar link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81757005132
Mar 1, 2021
- EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, Sport and Youth delivered the keynote address to Federation of Irish Sport members at today’s CEO/Manager forum.
- Minister Jack Chambers spoke of the power of collaboration, innovation and support across the European member states as we all strive to overcome the challenges of COVID-19 in the sector and maximise innovation and opportunity moving forward.
- Danny Mansergh of Mercer Marsh explored the future of work and the opportunities and challenges COVID-19 might present going forward.
The Federation of Irish Sport were delighted to host their first CEO forum of 2021 focusing on innovation, the future of work and the power of sport with special guests EU Commissioner Gabriel, Minister Chambers and Danny Mansergh. The event brought together 80 individuals from more than 40 sporting organisations and showcased the value of shared learning.
Commissioner Gabriel’s work in Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, Sport and Youth aligns with that of Federation members and her keynote address served to update, inspire and drive innovation among the Irish sport sector. The commissioner’s work supports the belief that ‘Sport lies at the centre of interest and everyday life of European citizens. It is vital for our society and for our economy’, a view that all Federation of Irish Sport members share.
Government Chief Whip and Minister of state at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht and Sport with special responsibility for Sport and the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers spoke of the power of sport and physical activity to bring communities together and paid tribute to the innovation and resilience shown by those working in the sector during trying times.
The final speaker of the day, Career and Health Lead with Mercer Marsh, Danny Mansergh posed the question of whether the post COVID workplace presents challenges or opportunities. The presentation delivered interesting insights into the future of a dynamic and changing world of work.
Speaking about the event, Federation CEO Mary O’Connor said, ‘We were delighted to be able to bring our members together virtually today to gain valuable insight on the work of the EU commission and that of our own government as it relates to Sport and Physical Activity. We thank our special guests today for sharing their knowledge and insight on the innovation and importance of the sector during these challenging times. It is vital that the sector has the opportunity to engage, understand and learn from the work of the EU commission, the government and our subject matter experts, particularly during challenging times where advocacy for sport and physical activity, and it’s role in society, is of key importance.’
The member forum also provided updates on the work of the Federation of Irish Sport over the past months including the hugely successful Volunteers in Sport Awards, insight into member engagement activities and advocacy for the year ahead.
ENDS.
Queries to sarah.maloney@irishsport.ie
