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O’ROURKE – FF BILL CRACKS DOWN ON INSURANCE FRAUD

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.”

“This proposal was captured in the report published by the Cost of Insurance Working Group earlier this year. Reducing insurance costs has been a key priority for me and our party, and we must make better progress in reducing the cost of insurance and bring rates more in line with EU norms rates,” concluded Deputy O’Rourke.

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LAWLESS CRITICISES MENTAL HEALTH WAITING LISTS

James Lawless TD has criticised the amount of time it can take for a patient to access Mental Health Services in Kildare

James made the comments after his Parliamentary Question on the mean time a patient might wait for a Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) appointment was found to be 3 to 6 months for a non urgent routine appointment. Continue reading “LAWLESS CRITICISES MENTAL HEALTH WAITING LISTS”

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O’ROURKE WELCOMES PROPOSED PARK AND RIDE AT CELBRIDGE

Frank O’Rourke TD has welcomed the inclusion of a proposed Park and Ride Bus Facility adjacent to Celbridge and Junction 5 on the M4 as part of the BusConnections proposal to make Bus Transport more attractive to commuters and launched by the National Transport Authority (NTA)

Deputy O’Rourke welcomed the news, having rasied the matter at a recent meeting with Dublin Bus.

“The National Transport Authority (NTA) outlined this proposal in its BusConnects Plans, which includes a suite of initiatives designed to transform bus services in the Dublin region.  A Park and Ride for Bus commuters in Celbridge is included as part of its proposals.” Continue reading “O’ROURKE WELCOMES PROPOSED PARK AND RIDE AT CELBRIDGE”

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O’ROURKE – GOVT NEEDS TO TACKLE INSURANCE COSTS

Deputy Frank O’Rourke has called on the Government to give greater priority to reducing the cost of insurance

Insurance costs in Ireland remain stubbornly high as the Government last week published its most recent report from the Cost of Insurance Working Group.

“My concern is that the elevated motor insurance costs that we now have, will become the norm. Since being elected, I have persistently raised the unacceptable rise in the cost of motor insurance.  I pressed the Government to partner with other EU countries to fight the rising costs, and to-date we have received a deafening silence.”

“The National Claims Information Database is one of the key recommendation of the working groups report.  The legislation to establish the database was supposed to be enacted by the end of 2017. Now it seems it will not be even introduced until the second half of 2018 and that time-frame is far from certain.”

“A mechanism to set up an anti-fraud unit within An Garda Síochána was to be approved by the third quarter of 2017.  This has yet to be achieved and no solid timeline has been put in place for the approval of such a mechanism, much less the establishment of a unit.”

“Motor insurance costs have been a major issue for drivers in Ireland over the past number of years and Fianna Fáil has been to the fore in pressing the government to take action. The lack of action in relation to the recommendations of the working group is unacceptable.”

“The message must go out to all, that we are determined to get fairer motor insurance premiums for Irish motorists. Many Kildare motorists continue to make contact with me in relation to their rising costs, and I am determined to keep a focus on this important issue for them.”

“High motor insurance premiums have not gone away. The government has shown no sign that it is on top of this issue, as many continue to face unsustainable high insurance premiums.  This is a direct threat to our competitiveness, and increases the cost of living, and must be addressed,” concluded Deputy O’Rourke.

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NAAS COMMUTER EXPERIENCE MUST BE IMPROVED – DIGNAN

Naas Fianna Fáil Candidate Terry Dignan has said that both short-term and long-term solutions are needed to improve the services for the thousands of Naas Residents who commute to work in Dublin every day.

Terry’s comments come on the back of a Public meeting Terry and James Lawless hosted on Thursday 18th April in Lawlor’s Hotel which focussed on public transport issues for local commuters out of which Terry and James have set up an action group with over twenty people signed up who want to see change.

Terry said, “James gave a very detailed update on the plans for the improvement in the Rail services. We had a pragmatic discussion on issues such as overcrowding on trains, lack of parking space, inadequate timetables, disability access and the feeder-bus service.”

“We also talked about short-term solutions such as having trains retrofitted with grab-handles and poles to improve safety. Longer-term solutions which James has been working on include extending the short-hop fare zone to Newbridge to ease demand at Sallins, and increasing the available Rail stock.”

Terry concluded, “I hope to be able to continue working with James on these and other issues if elected”