PR: Tourist bed tax: Taoiseach needs to commit, say Greens

Party welcomes Taoiseach saying he is “not opposed” to hotel bed charge

The Green Party is calling on the Taoiseach to firm up his commitment to a hotel bed tax, following reports today that he is “not opposed” to the measure.

Similar charges are in place across 18 EU countries, typically at low rates, but going as high as 12.5% of the hotel bill in Amsterdam.

The Green Party is calling for councils to decide their own rate, to support services like street cleaning and new parks, which will benefit tourists and residents alike. A similar recommendation was made by the government’s own Commission on Taxation and Welfare in 2022.

A Dublin City Council report found that a minimal 1% hotel bed charge would raise €12m for the city – the equivalent of 250 full-time street cleaners.

For example, a 1% charge would mean for a single adult:

  • €1.44 in Buswell’s Hotel by the Dáil
  • €2.10 in the Rochestown Park Hotel in the Taoiseach’s constituency
  • €1.80 on the national average daily room rate.

Green Party finance spokesperson, Cllr. Michael Pidgeon said:

“It’s time for the Taoiseach to commit to a hotel bed tax and stow his concerns in the overhead compartment.

“Most countries around Europe have such a charge, helping towns and cities to clean up their streets and improve facilities for tourists and residents alike.

“A 1% charge on a hotel bill won’t make or break a holiday or business trip – yet it could make a real difference.

“Dublin’s four councils have already indicated their strong support for such a measure. We should let councils set their own hotel bed tax rate, so they can tailor the tax to their local needs.

“It’s really positive that the Taoiseach has said he isn’t opposed – now he just needs to land in favour.” 

Notes to editors:

Room example calculations are booking a single adult a month from today, Saturday the 19th of July. This is a peak season rate on a weekend, which would be likely lower out of season or during the week.

The national average daily room rate figure comes from a 2024 Fáilte Ireland report: https://www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/Publications/failte-ireland-hotel-survey-may-2024.pdf?ext=.pdf

The Dublin City Council figures on a 1% hotel bed charge are from this report: https://councilmeetings.dublincity.ie/documents/s39813/Report%201%20-%202023%20Accommodation%20Tax.pdf

Press release: Greens call on insurers to “show their sums” to reduce premiums

Party calls for radical transparency to benefit consumers and new competitors

Insurance companies should be forced to “show their sums” and reveal what calculations are behind insurance premiums, the Green Party has said today (Monday).

The Greens are seeking a new requirement that insurers display the major factors used in calculating a quote, such as the weighting they attach to location, a person’s age, claims history, business sector etc.

Insurers should also be required to publish the “loss ratio” for each type of insurance package they offer, showing which ones incur the most claims.

The party says that this will give consumers more information, stamp out price gouging, and help improve competition, reducing premiums for business and consumers alike.

The party made the call as part of its submission to the next Action Plan for Insurance Reform. The first plan focused on reducing legal costs and awards paid to injured parties. The Green Party is calling for the next reforms to radically boost transparency for consumers and would-be competitors.

Green Party finance spokesperson, Cllr. Michael Pidgeon said:

“Ireland’s high insurance premiums are a rip off. They keep struggling businesses on the brink of bankruptcy and pile pressure on hard-pressed households.

“It’s time for the insurance companies to show us their sums and reveal how they have calculated such high premiums. This will give consumers and businesses more clarity on what is behind their quote, and might help shame insurers into price reductions.

“We’re also suggesting new measures to bring more insurers to Ireland. An anonymous database of all insurance claims would give would-be competitors certainty, offering a chance to look under the hood of the Irish market. This would help increase competition and cut bills.

“The government gave the insurance industry a lot of the reforms it wanted in the last action plan. Now it’s time to demand fairer prices and transparency.” 

The Greens are also calling for:

  • A new requirement to report when customers are declined cover, to be included in the National Claims Information Database (NCID). This is particularly important in business sectors where there are few insurance options and for people with specific needs or disabilities.
  • An anonymised database of all insurance claims, to give potential new insurance firms better information on the Irish market and increase the number of competing insurers.
  • A new duty on insurers to ensure free access for people with disabilities to the most competitive insurance quotes, which may only be available otherwise on price comparison sites and not by phone.

Green Party response to government consultation:

Green Party submission to the public consultation on new Action Plan for Insurance Reform – May 2025

Q1. Areas for further development:

The first action plan on insurance reform focused on reducing the risk and cost of claims and litigation. That work is valuable and should continue, but has not resulted in the reduced premiums hoped for.

One approach the action plan could take is to make more radical proposals conditionally tapered in on the basis of premium costs. Measures to tackle high premiums that are opposed by the industry could be prepared but held back so long as a minimum reduction in premiums across the sector takes place.

Q2. Priorities for the 2025-2029 Action Plan

Continuing with the work from the previous plan, the three core priorities should be:

  1. Increase transparency to consumers on pricing
  2. Increase transparency for new entrants and reduce barriers
  3. Engage at EU level to mitigate the climate insurance gap – particularly around flooding.

Q3. Transparency & Affordability

Insurers have sought and gained major changes to reduce litigation costs and awards to injured parties. If premiums have not fallen as a result, increased transparency to the consumer is a necessity. This should also assist in driving price decreases and competition.

This should include:

  • A new requirement for insurers to “show their workings”, giving a clear breakdown of what main aspects are determining the cost of a premium and by how much. This would include, for example, weightings applied to locations, sectors, business type, demographics, claims history etc.
  • A new requirement for insurers to publish loss ratios and acceptance rates for each policy type
  • A new requirement to report when policies are declined, to be included in the NCID reports. This is particularly important in sectors where there are few insurance options and for people with specific needs or disabilities.
  • Extra information in the NCID on demographic and geographic impacts, as is done in the UK.

Separately, there should be a new positive duty on insurers to ensure free access for people with disabilities to access competitive insurance quotes, which may only be available otherwise on price comparison sites and not by phone.

Q4. Competitiveness & Availability

The relatively small number of insurers in Ireland is undoubtedly a driver of high premiums, as competition is relatively low and the risk of price coordination (even unspoken) is high.

One of the key barriers to new firms entering the market is information: established insurers have years of granular data from which they can calculate prices. Aimed at new entrants, the state should develop and require input into a dataset of anonymised claims information available to all market participants or would-be entrants, akin to All-Payer Claims Databases in the USA.

Separately, consideration should be given to easing regulatory requirements for the first years of operation for a new entrant to the market, eventually tapering such requirements in. This could mean, for example, working with the Central Bank to have capital requirements that start low and grow to the general requirement gradually over a number of years. This would incentivise new firms entering the market and drive improved competition.

Paired with this tapered approach, any entry requirements and regulations should be regularly reviewed to reduce redundancy and improve competition. A set of such changes was announced by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority this month.

Q7. Climate Protection Gap

Climate change is already having a substantial insurance cost impact in Ireland and across Europe – particularly in relation to flooding. An October 2024 Central Bank report found a substantial gap in flood protection insurance, with roughly 1 in 20 buildings having difficulty accessing flood insurance. The estimated costs of inland flooding are about €100m a year, with half-billion euro events expected every 25 years – but this is worsening as the climate changes. The Central Bank estimates these inland flood costs alone rising by over 40% in high-end climate scenarios by 2050.

While outside of the scope of this action plan, it is a clear signal for the government to redouble efforts to prevent runaway climate change, and to take steps to mitigate against increasing flood risks.

Such catastrophic flooding and other climate risks could overwhelm the domestic insurance system, and the action plan should prioritise work at an EU and wider international level to spread and reduce this risk.

Keep market space for Newmarket

There’s a new attempt to application to convert space intended for a market to a convenience shop.

The space is on Newmarket and Mill Street in the Liberties – previously where the Green Door Market was. The site was redeveloped several years ago on condition that they had a market space.

For the second time, developers are trying to wriggle out of this condition. Below is my planning observation for this case – here is the one I wrote previously when we successfully stopped them in 2022.

The case is open for observations until 19th November 2024.


A chara,

I am writing to oppose application 4346/24 from Patrizia Eight Building Ltd. I do so on three main grounds:

1. Danger of precedent

The applicant yet again attempts to wriggle out of an obligation under their previous planning permission to provide a space for a market.

Their initial planning permission saw the removal of an existing market, and their original planning permission was granted on the basis that they retain/build some replacement market space.

The applicant has repeatedly sought to extricate themselves from this requirement – these attempts have been rightfully rejected at both council and An Bord Pleanála levels.

They make the case for this application largely on the basis of their claim that they could not find a market tenant for the site paying commercial rates – but this in itself is not sufficient to free the applicant of their obligations.

The planning condition for a market was essentially a trade off – the applicant gets to do the development, but they have to keep a market space. The applicant was aware of this trade off when developing the site and chose to proceed. If they are unable to find a tenant for the site at commercial rates, the option open to them is to offer the space at a loss and fulfil their side of the trade off.

It would be an extremely dangerous precedent if the planning authority were to permit a development on a given condition, and then waive that condition in future based on claims of insufficient profitability by the applicant. 

2. Development Plan’s provisions for markets in area

Separately, the new city development plan contains various provisions which support markets in general and in this specific area. In particular:

– SDRA 15 covers this area and sets a goal for the area: “To support the use of Newmarket Square for market trading and other beneficial public uses…”

– SDRA 15 also states: “Community and cultural uses at Newmarket Square should be protected into the future.”

–  Policy CCUV33 sets “Support for Markets” as an objective, saying: “To facilitate indoor and outdoor markets both in the city centre and throughout the city particularly where they support the existing retail offer and local produce/start up enterprise and the circular economy; and to realise their potential as a tourist attraction.”

These provisions should give planners pause before approving the massive reduction in market space.

3. Provision already made

Finally, planners should note that there is already provision for a similarly sized (437sq m) retail unit immediately beside this site. Planning application LRD6028/24-S3 was granted at the end of October 2024. This significantly undercuts the applicant’s case for a need for more retail on the site, and bolsters the case for retaining the existing conditions.

I ask that planners once again reject this attempt.

Is mise,

Cllr. Michael Pidgeon

City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin 2

Appealed: we still don’t need slot machines in Dolphin’s Barn

There was an application to build an “amusement centre” – really a slot machine hall – in Dolphin’s Barn, back in mid-2024. I put in an objection and the council rejected the plan.

But the developer appealed it to An Bord Pleanála. Below is my rebuttal of their appeal, which builds on my previous objection and responds to the points made by the developer who is appealing it. You can read their appeal here.

Thankfully, the board rejected their appeal. The slot machine hall won’t be going ahead. I’m really grateful to the 140+ people who added their name to my objection, to the volunteers who helped deliver my letters locally, and to the journalists who covered it.

Continue reading “Appealed: we still don’t need slot machines in Dolphin’s Barn”

Coming to Dublin by train and ferry from Brussels

Dublin is proudly hosting the European Greens Congress in December 2024.

A number of people have been in touch about how to come to Dublin without flying. I previously did a guide on travelling between Ireland and the UK by ferry and train, so this post is a simple guide for people who want to do the same thing from the continent.

Continue reading “Coming to Dublin by train and ferry from Brussels”

Why I’m against the “amusement centre” plan in Dolphin’s Barn

Below is a planning observation I sent in on plans for an “amusement centre” proposed for Dolphin’s Barn. The full project details are here and observations wereopen until 28 August 2024.

UPDATE: Dublin City Council thankfully REJECTED this application in September 2024. The full decision is here. The developer has now appealed to An Bord Pleanála – I will be submitting a further objection there.

Continue reading “Why I’m against the “amusement centre” plan in Dolphin’s Barn”

Dubliners don’t need more delays with traffic plan – Greens

Green city councillors slam Minister Emer Higgins’ “bizarre intervention” on behalf of car park owners

Dublin City Council should push ahead with their traffic plans for the city centre, the eight Green councillors have said.

They rejected calls by Minister Emer Higgins for the scheme to be delayed, criticising her intervention as “bizarre”.

The initial stages of the plan would see two new short bus lanes on Aston Quay and Bachelor’s Walk, plus a new junction layout at Pearse Street. 

Research found that 60% of car traffic in the city centre is passing through – without stopping to shop. The plan aims to reduce this through traffic and make Dublin city centre a more attractive destination.

An extensive consultation process on the plan was completed in 2023, with over 3,500 submissions made by business, residents and charities across the city. The city councillors have debated and voted on the plan several times in the past year, each time recommending its implementation.

The city council has aimed to start work in August of this year, but has faced objections from the Dublin City Centre Traders Alliance, a small lobby group mostly composed of car park owners.

Green Party group leader on Dublin City Council, Cllr. Michael Pidgeon said:

“Dubliners are sick of waiting. Waiting in traffic, waiting for buses, and now a minister wants them to wait for plans to fix up our city centre.

“This last-ditch intervention by Minister Emer Higgins is utterly bizarre. She is doing the work of vested interests – car park owners who fear any progress that would undermine their bottom line.

“Dublin city’s design cannot be dictated by car park owners. City council management should stick to their guns. It’s time to implement this plan, improve the bus, and make the core city centre a better place to be.”

Local Green councillor Claire Byrne said:

“By talking this traffic out of the city centre, Dublin will be a much better place to work, shop and live. It will improve the air quality and make our streets safer to walk or cycle along. We need to get past the idea that all customers in a city drive.

“In short, this plan is about giving the city back to people, making it a living city again rather than one that is dominated by cars racing through it. This is exactly the sort of measure we need to achieve our climate targets.”

Green councillor Ray Cunningham said:

“The Dublin City Traffic Plan is aimed at limiting through traffic only – the cars that will never stop and shop in the city centre. It is precisely this traffic that is bad for business. 

“It means that those who do genuinely want to come into the city, to shop, to eat or for entertainment are getting caught up in horrendous traffic jams. This type of car-jam system doesn’t work for anyone.”

Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, Donna Cooney, said:

“Retail and tourism thrive in low-traffic areas. We’ve seen this evidence in cities around the world.

“When you create space for people to linger and enjoy, it is better for Dubliners and visitors.”