Up to 20,000 jobs could be at risk if the insurance pricing crisis is not resolved, according to the Alliance for Insurance Reform.

The Government has been criticised for making a “back-of-the-envelope” decision in response to the insurance crisis in childcare.

The Central Bank's first-ever Private Motor Insurance Report also shows legal costs for most cases settled in court make up nearly two-thirds of the total compensation awarded.

Thousands of jobs could be lost in the next six to eight months unless Irish rules on minor injuries insurance claims are brought in line with the rest of Europe.

Community groups, tidy towns organisations and residents' associations are warning that they face a difficult future in the wake of soaring insurance costs.

A body representing Ireland’s insurance brokers has hit back at claims the profession is involved in anti-competitive practices, after the Government announced an investigation into the public liability insurance market.

UK operator LeisureInsure covers event companies, operators of bouncy castles, soccer coaches and drama groups.

Sport Ireland says opportunities to participate in sport and outdoor activities are being blocked by the rising cost of insurance.

The Alliance for Insurance Reform is calling on the judiciary to speedily implement new legislation which would reset the guidelines around the level of personal injury awards.

A dedicated Garda fraud unit is urgently needed to tackle insurance scams, according to the Vintners Federation of Ireland.

Insurers, brokers and businesses have come out in favour of key reforms being considered by the Government to curb fraudulent and misleading insurance claims.

A survey has found that small businesses and charities have seen an average increase of 200% in their insurance costs over the last five years.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance with special responsibility for Financial Services and Insurance, Michael D’Arcy has defended the Minister for Justice’s decision to shelve plans for a dedicated Garda Insurance Fraud Unit.

Plans for a dedicated Garda Insurance Fraud Unit have been abandoned.

Hundreds of community and volunteer events and festivals could be under threat due to soaring insurance costs and regulatory issues.

Up to 200 of Ireland's upcoming festivals are at risk due to an insurance-related issue.

A Meath business owner has won her lengthy battle to keep her play centre open at the eleventh hour by securing insurance for herself and 60 other facilities across the country.

The Government risks "repeating the mistakes of the past" unless it listens to the National Competitiveness Council's warnings that rising rents and cost of living could topple the Irish economy.

Former High Court president, Nicholas Kearns, is chair of the Personal Injuries Commission which has found that personal injury payouts here are 4.4 times higher than in Britain.

The legal professions will no doubt forcefully reject the almost unprecedented challenge made by Isme, the small and medium business representative organisation, to the Oireachtas finance committee yesterday.

FBD Insurance has accused the legal profession of being solely responsible for exorbitant premiums for businesses as it defended its 41% rise in profits last year.

The Alliance for Insurance Reform says that spiralling insurance costs, driven by high financial awards on claims, are crippling small businesses and forcing many to close.

Marts across the country could face closure because of rising insurance costs, while the GAA has seen its insurance bill double in five years, said business and community figures.

The “legal extortion” of crippling insurance premiums is threatening the existence of Ireland’s social fabric, including farmers’ marts, festivals and community celebrations, GAA clubs, and even children’s charities.

Insurance reformers have described as “shocking, but not surprising” reports that a European Commission (EC) investigation into Irish motor insurance is examining allegations that the industry is frustrating access to the market.

A group calling for insurance reform has urged the Government to follow the UK in drafting laws to curb compensation amounts.

A new organisation which includes the Irish Hotels Federation and the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland has demanded an end to what it calls “crippling insurance premiums”.

There is a warning that businesses will be forced to close and jobs will be lost unless action is taken to bring down rising insurance premiums.

Reform of the insurance market is teetering on the brink of collapse, it was claimed today.

A GROUP of senior judges has recommended penalties for all parties in personal injury cases who falsify or exaggerate claims, delay proceedings or create unnecessary expense.

Helping businesses adjust to the large increase in insurance costs is the aim of a series of free seminars starting today.

The Alliance for Insurance Reform (AIR) will be a series of free seminar series to help business people get the most from their insurance cover in Cork tomorrow evening.

THE Alliance for Insurance Reform (AIR) says Government inaction on insurance reform provides insurance companies with reasons to avoid insurance premium cuts.

Gerard McCaughey of the Alliance for Insurance Reform talks to Ian Guider

THE Alliance for Insurance Reform (AIR) has launched a savage attack on the legal profession, accusing them of spreading false and blatant misinformation about the proposed Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB).

‘Compo chasers’ will be jailed for up to 10 years for making false insurance claims, under new laws to be announced this morning.

The Alliance for Insurance Reform (AIR), has defended Ireland's workplace safety record.

TWO out of five companies had to borrow to pay spiralling insurance premiums last year and more than one in ten fired staff to divert cash to insurance costs, it emerged yesterday.

THE failure to introduce laws reducing spiralling insurance costs will force many companies out of business and put hundreds out of work, the Alliance for Insurance Reform (AIR) claimed yesterday.