The Irish Insurance Federation has been actively working with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner to address issues that have been raised in relation to the operation of Insurance Link since the investigation concluded. Insurance Link is an essential tool used by insurers to protect customers from fraud. IIF members have co-operated fully with all aspects of the investigation and took immediate corrective action where possible.

Mike Kemp, Chief Executive, Irish Insurance Federation said, ‘We welcome this report and the clarity it brings to the functioning of Insurance Link. The database exists to protect customers from fraud and we will continue to work with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner  (ODPC) to ensure data protection standards are met while maintaining the integrity of the database. Since the ODPC alerted us to these issues members took immediate corrective action where possible and we will continue to work with the ODPC to resolve any outstanding issues.”

The database is used to guard against fraudulent claims. It is a neutral listing of claims and there are no pejorative associations to be drawn from a claim being on the database. The main function of this database is to highlight possible fraudulent activity. A claims match on the database is not an indication of definite fraud but acts as a trigger for further investigation.

“Insurance Link is an essential tool used to identify suspected insurance fraud which costs €100 million annually. It is a vital database which helps to combat and minimise fraud which pushes up the premiums of honest policyholders unnecessarily and has a major negative impact on the economy”, said Mr Kemp.