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O’ROURKE CRITICISES GOVERNMENT INACTION ON INSURANCE FRAUD

Frank O’Rourke TD has criticised the government for delaying legislation which would clamp down on insurance fraud.

Frank commented, “Recent findings published by the insurance industry has labelled half of all personal injury claims brought to court as “potentially fraudulent”. False and misleading claims have negative …consequences for Irish policyholders and drive up the cost of insurance premiums.”

“The cost of both motor insurance and business insurance remains stubbornly high for households and businesses across the country. The average annual cost of motor insurance now stands at €750 compared with €450 in 2014, an increase of nearly 70%.” Continue reading “O’ROURKE CRITICISES GOVERNMENT INACTION ON INSURANCE FRAUD”

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O’ROURKE WELCOMES APPOINTMENT OF CELBRIDGE COMMUNITY GARDA


Frank O’Rourke TD and Cllr Michael Coleman have welcomed the confirmation that a permanent Community Garda will be appointed to Celbridge Garda Station within the next two months.

 

Frank commented, “I’m pleased that the Garda resources are strengthening in Celbridge. This was a commitment both myself and Cllr Michael Coleman got when we met Garda management last year. This is further positive news for Celbridge and I will continue to keep a focus on having further resources allocated to Celbridge and Kildare. Last year, I raised the relatively low level of Garda numbers in Celbridge and in Kildare generally, and called on the Department of Justice to fairly distribute Garda resources. Kildare has one of the lowest level of Garda numbers in the country. The numbers are now improving incrementally In Kildare, and we need further additional resources allocated to the different locations in Kildare.” 

“I do want to acknowledge that we have made some progress in terms of Garda numbers in the last 2 years in Celbridge, but we must make further progress and bring Kildare in line with the national average. I want to thank the Gardí for the continued commitment on this important issue. I will continue to press the Minister for additional Garda resources.”, concluded Deputy O’Rourke.

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James Lawless – Kill Crime Prevention Meeting

A huge credit to Kill Community Alert Group who hosted a crime prevention meeting last night. The presentations on home security and general policing in the area were very informative. The Gardai and the local community are doing their very best with scarce resources.

I personally believe it was a mistake by the government to close over 100 stations at the stroke of a pen in 2013. Five of those stations were in the Kildare and West Wicklow area which has been left exposed since. The total savings across all 100 plus stations only amounted to 2.5 million which is a drop in the ocean of the Justice budget. Continue reading “James Lawless – Kill Crime Prevention Meeting”

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O’Rourke – Fianna Fáil bill will tackle fraudulent Insurance claims

Frank O’Rourke TD says a new Bill being brought forward by his party should lead to reduced insurance costs, as it will clamp down on fraudulent insurance claims.

“Fraudulent insurance claims have been a contributory factor in the rising insurance costs, which people in Kildare and across the country have been hit with in recent years.”

“The average premiums today are still €300 higher now than they were in 2014. Constituents regularly raise the high cost of motor and business insurances with me at my weekly clinics”  stated Deputy O’Rourke.

“Our Bill, the Civil Liability and Courts (Amendment) Bill 2018, is the latest measure from our party aimed at tackling spiralling insurance costs. I have raised the high cost of insurance with the Government on many occasions and have offered a number of proposals which the Government should have pursued. The Government has not given focus to this issue and it is affecting the cost of living for many people.”

“The majority of insurance claimants are genuine. However, there is an underlying issue with fraudulent claims, which is driving up the cost of insurance for motorists, businesses, community groups and individuals. We need to address this issue and our Bill is designed to make would-be false claimants think twice about making a claim. If passed, the Bill will direct a court to refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions where a case is deemed to be a fraudulent action.”

Continue reading “O’Rourke – Fianna Fáil bill will tackle fraudulent Insurance claims”