(L-R) Brian Foley, VFI Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Pat Crotty, VFI CEO, Minister of State, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and VFI President John Clendennen

The VFI held a productive meeting in early March with Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, about the current state of the insurance sector and the problems many publicans face in obtaining reasonable quotes.

VFI President John Clendennen acknowledged the work the Minister and Government has done over the past couple of years, most notably the rebalancing of the Duty of Care and the introduction of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board.

VFI members continue to see premiums rise and have difficulty in obtaining quotes from more than one insurance company. The minister said a culture change is underway that will take more time to take hold but that she was confident that increased competition would soon become a reality in the Irish market.

Both the minister and the VFI committed to working together to ensure a “message of change” is communicated to publicans and their customers that the old era of “compo culture” is a relic of the past.

The VFI will continue to seek feedback from members about insurance costs and provide the minister with real-time information about the market.