Disgruntled motorists swamp government with insurance woes

A GOVERNMENT department is being swamped with complaints from disgruntled motorists claiming they are being forced to pay exorbitant amounts for insurance.

Figures from the Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment reveal the number of complaints soared from just over 700 in 2001 to nearly 2000 last year. This is despite high profile moves to tackle the problem of high insurance costs.

The vast majority of the complaints related to personal insurance premiums, particularly for motoring insurance, according to the department.

However, a spokesperson said there is nothing the department can do except advise people to direct complaints to the insurance industry or the ombudsman for the industry.

Last year, the department received 1,849 complaints, up from just over 700 the previous year. Nearly 300 were received in the last three months.

Mick Murphy, of the Motor Insurance Justice Action Group (MIJAG), said people are now more prepared to speak out about the issue. He said the cost of insurance remains far too high despite Government efforts to tackle the problem.

“It’s still very high and nothing fundamental has changed,” said Mr Murphy.

His organisation, which represents mainly young people, is currently a database to track trends in the cost of insurance.

MIJAG claims to have 5,000 people on its e-mailing list and has orchestrated a campaign on various fronts, including arguing the drivers’ case in Europe.

A department spokeswoman said: “We are not a complaints department but we obviously receive complaints about insurance costs. In terms of insurance costs, there’s nothing we can do to decrease as we are barred from EU law,” he said. The Government is hoping various changes, including the Personal Injury Assessment Board and introduction of the penalty points system will lead to a drop in cost of motor insurance.