The minister responsible for insurance reform has hit out at parents who look for insurance cover when they're sending their children to birthday parties.
Families in Waterford this week complained to WLR that some mothers had enquired if a house had liability insurance before sending their six-year-old kids to a party there.
Minister Michael D'Arcy responded to the issue in an interview with Damien Tiernan on Deise Today, saying it's only a minority of people who do this.
He blamed compensation culture and says he hopes the establishment of a judicial council will reverse the trend:
"I just hate to hear things of that nature but unfortunately there are a very small number of people who behave like that. We've all seen cases where we're all scratching our heads wondering how in the name of God did someone get awarded that quantity of money."
Minister D'Arcy also spoke about how some bike hire companies on the Waterford Greenway are at risk of closure because they either can't afford the insurance renewal quotes being offered, or can't even secure a quote.
He said he's not surprised:
"This isn't new for me. The issue is that it's moving into additional sectors now beyond bouncy castles, trampolines and the like. It's why I've put so much work and effort and energy into resolving this by reducing the level of awards. The matter is now with the judiciary and I met with the Chief Justice during the week."
The Minister said the judicial council will allow judges to recalibrate award levels, which will result in insurers providing more cover to businesses.
He said he hopes leisure businesses who have had to cease trading will be back up and running in 2020.
