IPB Insurance should be extended for community events says Galway Cllr

Speaking in relation to the threat to key Galway 2020 events, Cllr Niall McNelis, Labour spokesperson on tourism said that Galway City Council has the solution at its fingertips, as joint owner of IPB Insurance mutual, and should take immediate action.

Cllr McNelis said:

“I understand that Galway Community Circus has cancelled its classes for 650 members due to insurance costs, which may jeopardise Wires Crossed, one of the main projects of Galway Capital of Culture 2020. This is another example of Fine Gael’s failure to take action to cut the cost of insurance, which is so damaging to businesses and to the community sector across the country. 

“It is ludicrous to think that Galway City Council might permit flagship events of Galway 2020 to be cancelled, while the Council is itself a joint owner of an insurance mutual that could step in to provide affordable insurance cover.

“Labour has proposed a pragmatic solution, which is for IPB Insurance to be directed to provide affordable insurance to community festivals and markets for a period of time, as a stopgap while national measures are taken to improve the insurance market. Labour Councillors are bringing a motion to their respective councils, as joint owners of IPB Insurance mutual, to seek to implement this solution. 

“With the Christmas season now upon us, in terms of markets and community events, IPB Insurance offers an immediate solution. There are also only weeks to go until Galway 2020 is launched, and action is needed now to make sure that insurance costs do not take away from what will be an important opportunity to grow and develop the arts and culture offering of the city, and its benefits for the tourist sector. I call on Galway’s Chief Executive to publicly back this approach and to encourage other local authority Chief Executives to do the same.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Labour has prepared a Motion to be proposed by its Councillors on their respective Councils – and on Regional Assemblies and ETBs where they are members – to expand the remit of IPB Insurance to provide public liability insurance, at an affordable rate, to community events and festivals that are otherwise unable to source affordable insurance.

IPB (Irish Public Bodies) Insurance is a state-owned insurance mutual, owned by local authorities, ETBs, regional assemblies and the HSE. (See https://ipb.ie/who-we-are/)