Insurance industry is actively undermining NCT certification process – Mattie McGrath TD

Independent TD Mattie McGrath has called on the Minister of State with special responsibility for Financial Services and Insurance, Michael D’Arcy, to immediately investigate the growing practice of insurance companies denying cover to vehicles that are over ten years old. Deputy McGrath was speaking after being contacted by a significant number of people who are reporting that despite having a valid NCT, insurance companies are refusing to offer them any type of policy cover:

“What the insurance companies are engaging in is nothing short of despicable and it is causing huge frustration among the general public.

Last January, the Department of Finance launched its report on the Cost of Insurance in response to the scandalously high premiums that people were being forced to pay.

However, it is now the case that people are being increasingly denied even these kinds of extortionate rates and are simply being dismissed despite having a perfectly valid NCT certificate of roadworthiness.

I am suggesting to the Minister that we radically overhaul the car insurance system and devise a model whereby your insurance rate is linked to the actual use you make of your vehicle; something like a pay as you go model.

We need to do something to break the vicious monopoly of the insurance sector cartel and to hand the power back to the individual driver. As things stands, the sector is finding ever more creative ways of denying legitimate cover to drivers and this cannot be allowed to continue,” concluded Deputy McGrath.