I wish to thank the Chair for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. The main purpose is to suggest to the House that the manner and content of the announcement of this increase by the PMPA warrants an inquiry, perhaps even a public inquiry. During the years the practice has been that where a company applies to the Government for an increase, particularly where it is obligatory to bring it before the National Prices Commission, the report of the commission has been published and the Government have appended to the report the reasons for allowing such an increase. To date there has been no such report published and there has been no indication why the increase has been sanctioned. The only reason I can find is that some directors of the board happen to be prominent supporters of the Fianna Fáil Party but that is not a good reason for sanctioning a price increase.
The NPC reports for August and September 1980 have not been published and it is indeed outrageous that their publication has been delayed. It is well known that some of the directors of the board of the PMPA were very busy in December 1979 touring the country campaigning for the election of the Taoiseach rather than looking after their own business. They were very busy at that time twisting the arms of Ministers of State and Deputies in favour of one person and that is well documented.
There should be a public inquiry into this bland announcement by the PMPA. That company got increases from 35 per cent to 50 per cent from 1 March 1978 and by any standard these were massive increases. Then, back they came and, apparently, they had no great difficulty in convincing the Government that they were entitled to another increase of between 26 per cent and 30 per cent from 1 September 1979. Again, even taking inflation into account that was an increase of massive proportions. Back again come the PMPA and, apparently without comment, sub rosa, with no explanation and no NPC report, they are given an increase of 24 per cent from 1 December.
I notice an interesting comment in relation to this matter in the Evening Press of today's date where it states that in addition to the 24 per cent premium increase motorists who are comprehensively insured with PMPA will have to pay the first £25 of any claim. Is that true? If it is true, then it is a myth to think that one is comprehensively insured with PMPA. There are 400,000 motorists, more than half the motor car owners, about six out of every ten, who would like to know now, courtesy of Dáil Éireann, if they are liable for the first £25 if they have an accident. Apparently they are liable. We do not know what has been sanctioned by the Government.
PMPA maintain that other insurance companies have got increases but that is a rather lame excuse when one considers that for practical purposes they have the monopoly of motor vehicle insurance premiums in the Republic. It would be interesting to see the precise increases granted from 1 March 1978, while comparing the PMPA with the other 12 insurance companies. However, we do not have that data. That is why I think we need a short, sharp, vigorous inquiry into the PMPA.
I do not hold anything against the company as such. I do not hold it against the company that some of the members of the board have rather obvious political predilections in one direction. That does not particularly interest me. It is only when they spend their time more preoccupied in that direction to the detriment of the motorists who are insured with them that I get rather perturbed.