Category Archives: Waterways management

Yesterday’s Sunday Business Post had an article headed “Liberty Mutual move to push up business insurance costs” [paywall, alas, but the Irish Times mentions it briefly here. Messrs Liberty don’t seem to say anything about it on tinterweb, but perhaps you may wish to spend longer searching than I did].

Liberty took over a commercial insurance business from Quinn; it feels that “Quinn’s commercial business is unsustainable and under-priced” [SBP].  Accordingly, it is raising prices for many types of business and requiring a minimum premium of €1000 for all commercial policies and a minimum of €5000 in “high hazard trades”.

Furthermore, it is withdrawing altogether from 37 lines of business including:

• abattoirs
• children’s activity centres
• civil engineers
• contract cleaners
• fishing trawlers
• go-karting and quad biking businesses
• manufacture of paint, varnish and polishes
• nightclubs
• public swimming pools
• riding schools
• roofing contractors
• sawmills
• waste disposal and recycling
• window cleaning.

This is not of immediate relevance to Irish waterways, at least as far as I can see, although children’s activity centres might include some waterways-based centres. Furthermore, the SBP’s list is not exhaustive and there is the possibility that reductions in competition and higher insurance costs will spread to the waterways (if they haven’t already). Making it more difficult for small new businesses to start up, or existing businesses to survive, won’t benefit the waterways.

Is there a case for tort reform in Ireland?

attempt to assess and either eliminate or insure against all risks