Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive about measures to bring the level of car insurance premiums in Northern Ireland in line with those in the rest of the UK.

This issue has not been raised with me.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently investigating the private motor insurance market across the UK and is due to report its conclusions shortly. Early in its investigation, the CMA considered the Northern Ireland motor insurance market and did not find signs of a failure of competition specific to that market.

The CMA noted that a number of recent initiatives in Northern Ireland could have an effect on premiums, including a new arbitration procedure for smaller claims and a graduated driving licence aimed at reducing the riskiness of young drivers.

Government measures have already removed a number of unnecessary costs from the system in England and Wales, and we are implementing further reforms to tackle exaggerated whiplash claims, inducement advertising by solicitors and fraudulent insurance claims. The Government fully expects the insurance industry to continue to meet their commitment to pass on the savings from Government reforms to their customers through lower premiums.