The clocks go back on October 29th this year, but it’s already getting darker earlier as we head into autumn, so take action now to protect your home. Here are 10 ways to make your property safe.

Set Timers

There’s no bigger giveaway to burglars that you’re not at home than all the lights being off in the early evening.

Set timers on any plug-in lamps you have so that they can go on intermittently while you’re not there, making it look as though you’re at home.

Talk to Our Home Insurance Team

Welcome to the Autumn edition of our Customer Newsletter. In this issue, we reproduce a very useful article from the HSE outlining some great advice for Halloween. As part of our ongoing plan to offer regular advice and tips that will help to keep you and your family safe and protect your assets throughout the Halloween period.

We hope you find this article useful and that it contributes to your enjoyment of the Halloween period.

Also we provide you with some home protection tips to make your property safe as Autumn falls.

Click here to Download the full PDF

If your child has a mobile phone, make sure they have it in their possession when they go out, that it is charged and has credit so they can ring for help if needed.
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Remind children about “stranger danger” and the importance of not talking to people they do not know. This also means skipping houses that do not have lights on and never trick or treating at strangers’ houses.
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Teach your child not to approach any animals at Halloween as even animals that are normally calm and friendly and known to the person can often attack when frightened by noises such as fireworks.
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Keep in contact with older friends, neighbours and relatives – remember Halloween can be a frightening time for some people.
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Teach your child to respect other people’s well-being, safety and peace of mind.

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Face painting is often a safer choice for trick-or-treaters than a mask which can block or obscure vision – make sure your child is not allergic to any of the face paint ingredients.

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Dress for the weather, so your child and you are comfortable and warm.

 

All costumes, masks and wigs should be flame resistant:

 

Make sure children are wearing “normal” clothes under the costume, so that some protection may be given if the costume catches fire.
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If somebody catches fire, they should do the ‘stop, drop and roll’ drill – stop what they’re doing, get on the ground and roll. Allow the ground, and not a person’s hands, to suffocate the fire.
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Remember – devastating injuries can be caused if costumes catch fire. Strictly Come Dancing’s Claudia Winkleman relives the moment her daughter’s costume caught fire – “We couldn’t put her out. Her tights had melted into her skin……It was like those horrific birthday candles that you blow out and then they come back.”
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To prevent falls, make sure your child’s costume fits well, isn’t too long and does not have too much loose fabric.

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The Dublin Fire Brigade Service urges everyone to do everything possible to make sure Halloween is enjoyed in a safe environment. Watch their YouTube clip here.

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To be safest, plan family fun and activities that don’t include fireworks and do not allow children attend unsupervised bonfires.

Be cautious even at supervised bonfires. You never know when someone might throw something into the bonfire unknown to the supervisors that could be highly flammable or toxic and which could cause serious injuries.
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Children should never hold lit sparklers as they can burn as hot as 700oC and will not go out even when doused in water.
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Under 2006 legislation, if you ignite a firework or cause it to be ignited in any place, you are guilty of an offence (unless you are a licensed operator).
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The offence of igniting a firework can apply to any location, including the garden of a private house.
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Water or the appropriate fire extinguisher should always be nearby when fireworks and bonfires are being used.
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Every year children get firework and bonfire related injuries and some are scarred for life.

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BE SEEN

It is important that motorists can see you clearly. Parents and children should wear bright costumes/clothing made of a flame-resistant material with reflective tape, or carry light sticks or a flashlight.

Stay on footpaths and driveways.

Stay off lawns and gardens.

BE SAFE

Parents need to accompany young children while they are trick or treating.
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Note that the Road Safety Authority advises that no child under the age 12 years should be allowed cross the road or cycle on the road without adult supervision.
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Consider ‘trick-or-treating’ in a group and staying together.
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Don’t forget to: stop, look, listen and look again before crossing the road.
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Children may be difficult to see if wearing dark costumes.
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Remember, children can be unpredictable! They can dash across a roadway without giving any indication of their intention.
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Watch for children running out between parked cars.

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Before eating treats, make sure that they are all checked by a responsible adult.
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Discard treats that aren’t in sealed packaging or look suspicious.
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Does your child have any allergies?
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When in doubt, throw it out!

CHOKING

Choking occurs most frequently among children under two years of age, but choking can happen at any age.
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Do not give children under five years of age popcorn, boiled sweets, nuts, or rubber balloons.
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When eating sweets, parents should have children sit down – remember eating while playing, running, jumping, etc can lead to a choking episode.

 

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Keep pets safe over Halloween.

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Remind children not to frighten or annoy pets and other animals.

 

Click here to Download the full PDF

 

Be a good role model for your children: act safely and responsibly this Halloween

 

Stay safe and enjoy Halloween.

It is inevitable that some of us will suffer damage to our homes or commercial premises. If you are, what should you do?

Hi,

Let’s hope that the forecasted storm is not as bad or serious as is the weather service is predicting. If it is, it is inevitable that some of us will suffer damage to our homes or commercial premises. If you are faced with this situation, what should you do?

• Every property policy has a clause that allows a client to take whatever emergency actions are required to prevent a claim from getting bigger, providing they are reasonable. This means that if you need to call in a plumber, electrician or builder etc., to take some immediate measures, those costs are covered under your policy.  Take some pictures of the damage prior to any work, as this will form part of the claim documents and keep all receipts/invoices.
• Notify us (or your insurance provider)as soon as possible.
• If there is a lot of damage, your insurance company may appoint a loss adjuster to visit you, inspect the damage and agree the course of action to be taken and the costs involved.
• Depending on the extent of damage, it may be advisable to appoint a public loss assessor to assist you in working with your insurer to complete your claim. We can assist in finding you one.

At Dolmen, we are here to help. We will have as many staff as possible available on the phones to take your calls and start the process as quickly as possible. However for their safety and to ensure we get them home safely, we will be closing early today. Our numbers are 01 867 2121 or 086 830 70 30.

Alternatively you can leave an enquiry through our dedicated form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Send Enquiry

Here’s hoping the storm losses its power and this is not a serious event.

Remember, the most important thing is for you and all yours to keep safe. If you can, check in on elderly neighbours to ensure they are ok.

Regards,
Dolmen Team

Subject to a minimum payment of €350 per month for at least one year.

Key Specifications:

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Display – 10.10-inch
Processor – 1.6GHz octa-core
Front Camera – 2-megapixel
Kid Friendly – Yes
Resolution – 1920×1200 pixels
RAM – 2GB
OS – Android 6.0
Storage – 16GB
Rear Camera – 8-megapixel
WIFI – Yes
Bluetooth – Yes

Are you a Company Director or Self Employed?

Are you aware that if you are a business owner or a company director your company can pay for your pension?

This can be taken from the company’s gross profit and can therefore reduce the company’s corporate tax bill at the end of the year.

There are number of flexible options available to suit you and your company to help fund and grow your pension in the most efficient manner.

Are you a PAYE Employee?

If you are a PAYE employee you can avail of tax relief for the tax year of 2016 by making and backdating pension contributions once the claim is made by 31st October 2017.

Click the button below for details on how to plan for a better funded and tax efficient retirement.

We are here to help.

Contact us for advice on how to best fund your pension and maximise your tax free retirement income.

For more information on Pensions, call

01867 2121

to talk to one of our specialist today.

We are all horrified at this week’s London fire. What those people experienced is almost unthinkable, and the horror continues as relatives look for their missing family. But what can we do?

Let us all do something positive this weekend to protect our families by checking our home for fire safety.

1. Have you an escape plan in the event for a fire?
2. What would you do if the stairs are unusable/blocked?
3. How would you exit your home?
4. Have you discussed the plan with your family including children?

Remember, smoke may force you to crawl along your escape route, this changes the complexion totally and you need to ensure you do not become disorientated.

Have you got fire extinguishers at home and are they in working order?

All good hardware stores sell  multi-purpose fire extinguishers that can be used on any type of fire. Consider having one near the kitchen and up upstairs

 A fire blanket can smother a fire at your cooker.

Have you one installed, far enough from the cooker so you can get to it in the event of a fire? They are designed to be hung on a wall for ease of use.

Smoke is the silent, deadly, enemy.

Do you have smoke detectors? When did you last check them?

Most modern burglary alarm systems can include mains powered smoke detectors which offer far greater protection than the battery operated ones.

Smoke detectors are relatively inexpensive and there is no reason not to have several around your home especially in the stairwell and outside bedrooms. Be a good neighbour, help elderly neighbours check their smoke detectors.

Closing all downstairs doors is a very effective way of slowing the progress of smoke. This should be part of your lockup routine which should also include:

• Turning off all electrical devices at the sockets.
• Ensure cookers/chip pans are off
• Don’t have washing machines or dish washers running overnight
• Ensure open fires/candles/cigarettes etc. are correctly extinguished.
• Ensure the escape route is clutter free
• That keys to any locks are conveniently located.
• Don’t leave phones or other devices charging overnight

Many of us may hope to take a holiday in the near future and can find ourselves in multi storey hotel or apartment complexes. On arrival check the escape routes and ensure that you know where the nearest stairwell and emergency exit is is (lifts will be turned off in the event of a fire). Familiarise yourself with the fire escape plan which is normally displayed in all apartments / hotel rooms.

Also pick a spot for your family to meetup in the event of you getting separated.

There’s very little we can do to help the poor unfortunate victims of the London fire but protecting our own families this weekend would, at least be something positive to come out of this desperate event.

David Dillane 19/06/’17

‘The Road to Reform’
We are ALL concerned and intrigued as to WHY Car Insurance premiums are constantly on the increase at present. One of Ireland’s leading Insurance companies and Private Car underwriters (AVIVA) produced the following document in an attempt to explain the situation from their “perspective” We decided to share this with you to maybe help you understand in some way where Insurers are coming from.
Dolmen  as Insurance Brokers will always search the market to find you the most competitive quotation for car insurance and WE WILL continue to do this despite the underwriters increasing premiums. We will hopefully get you the most competitive premium available to us, and SAVE you money.

We are all very concerned about the impact of rising insurance premiums on our customers. We want to take this opportunity to explain what’s driving these increases, what the Irish insurance industry is doing to change the situation, and how you can help.

There are a number of factors contributing to the rise of premiums,including:

Excessive Award Levels

• Ireland has the highest claim award level in Europe. The average whiplash payout is €15,000 (Spain/Italy is €3,000,UK is €5,000).
• 80% of all motor injury claims in Ireland are related to whiplash (3% in France). This adds on average €130 to the cost of your motor premium.
• The excessive nature of award levels in Ireland is increasing the incentive to commit insurance fraud, which costs the Motor Insurance industry in excess of €100m per annum.

Inconsistent Award Levels

• Court award levels for injury claims continue to rise year on year (34% increase in High Court award levels from 2013 to 2014).
• Most European countries have an appropriate and consistent Book of Quantum, which sets out the level of award that should be paid for a given injury type. Ireland’s Book of Quantum is outdated and not used by the Courts, hence award levels here are hugely inconsistent. This makes it very difficult for insurance companies to price their policies.

Excessive Legal Costs

• 60% of the costs of cases settled through the courts are for legal fees.
• The Injuries Board, which was set up by the Government in 2004 to deal with personal injury claims without the need for legal representation, needs greater powers.  90% of injury Board claimants now attend with legal representation, while 40% of Injury Board awards are rejected and proceed to court.
• The reforms recommended by the Troika committee, as a condition of Ireland’s bailout, including a reduction in legal fees, have yet to be implemented.

Regulation of Insurance Providers

• Quinn Insurance traded recklessly, and it is estimated that its collapse will ultimately cost the Irish taxpayer in excess of €1bn (2% levy on your motor premium).
• Enterprise Insurance, which sold insurance products in Ireland while being prudentially regulated out of Gibraltar, is currently being wound up due to insolvency.
• This follows the liquidation of Setanta insurance, with outstanding claims liabilities of over  €90m. The High Court have deemed the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland (MIBI – representing the Irish insurance industry) liable for the claims outstanding against Setanta.
• In no other industry would companies be asked to bailout a competitor who becomes insolvent through reckless trading .

• Engaged the Government on the drivers of rising insurance premiums: Key industry representatives have worked with Government offices,including that of An Taoiseach,to ensure that they are fully aware of the need for reform within the insurance market in Ireland. Viable solutions have been put forward that can have a positive impact on premiums going forward.
• Assisted MIBI in the appeal of the ‘Setanta’ High Court decision: Industry leaders are working with the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) in an effort to successfully appeal the High Court decision which has deemed the insurance industry to be liable for the outstanding claims of Setanta. If this appeal is unsuccessful, customer insurance premiums could be negatively impacted by as much as €45 on average.
• Successfully lobbied for change in the UK: In the UK,following a relentless campaign,the Government has announced its intention to legislate for a policy of ‘Care not Cash‘ for minor whiplash claims. The introduction of a similar policy in Ireland would mean that someone unfortunate enough to suffer a minor whiplash injury would have the full cost of rehabilitation settled by the Insurer, in lieu of a cash lump sum of €15,000 or more. We would support the introduction of this approach in Ireland.
• Adopted a zero tolerance approach to insurance fraud: There has been a significant increase in the resources dedicated to detecting, preventing & investigating suspected fraudulent claims.  Collaboration with An Garda Siochana has resulted in a number of fraudulent claimants being convicted and sentenced to prison for insurance fraud.

There are a number of additional changes that could significantly reduce the cost of claims  and,as a consequence, lower the cost of your insurance.These are:

• A reduction in legal fees, as recommended by the Troika. The insurance industry is committed to working with the judiciary in this regard to create a better system for all stakeholders.
• Introduction of a consistent & realistic Book of Quantum for Ireland, to be adhered to by the insurance companies, the Injury Board,and the Courts.
• Additional Garda resources to increase the level of insurance fraud investigation, leading to more custodial sentences being handed down where it is proven that insurance fraud has taken place.

Your support is needed:
The lack of action to make this happen is a national concern and it is not acceptable. We are fully supportive of the industry drive to reform the insurance market in Ireland. You can assist by asking your local public representatives to address this important topic as a matter of urgency in the Oireachtas.

________________________________________________________________________

Insurance Ireland – ‘Driving Change – Measures to stabilise Motor Claims – 2015′

1. Insurance Ireland Press Release 15/09/2015
2. Insurance Ireland Media Briefing pack 15/09/2015
3. Whiplash cost per policy of c.€130 calculated as follows – 33% of total industry motor claims €979m divided by 2.5m licenced vehicles on the road (Dept of Transport Tourism & Sport – Bulletin of Vehicle & Driver Statistics – August 13th 2015)
4. Court Services Annual report 2014
5. Insurance Ireland 2014 Factfile report (page 20)
6. Irish Broker Magazine Article -Feb 2016

As a country, Ireland depends heavily on the Indian subcontinent, to provide Medicare workers including nurse and doctors, IT and other business professionals for our growing economy.

With the recruitment of Mr. Kanwar Singh, Dolmen is delighted that we are now able to provide a one stop shop for these professionals now settling in Ireland. We hope that a friendly face who can explain the processes will be of great assistance and look forward to developing this as a valuable service to our customers.

Visit the Indian Insurance website here

Dolmen Insurance are delighted to announce the launch of our new Life and Pensions Service to complement our other insurance services. We are now in a position to provide expert advice in relation to all aspects for Life Cover, Income Protection, Pension and Investment Plans Protection against Inheritance Tax and Serious Illness Protection.

Please click our Life and Pensions link here for details on our expert staff who can assist further.

On the 30th March 2015, Liberty announces they have withdrawn from providing Liability covers for Hotels, Restaurants and Public Houses.

As one of the major suppliers to this sector over the last couple years, this will inevitably lead to an increase in rates in this sector of the market.

This is a direct result of the volume and cost of claims.

There are few Insurers in Ireland who are now providing this cover and this emphasis the need of customers to be with a Broker with strong international contacts

Your camper van insurance renewal is enclosed and it’s important you read it carefully. Dolmen Insurance Brokers are delighted to say our scheme continues to offer quality cover for your
camper van, at competitive prices.

There are some changes to your policy, including better breakdown assistance cover, improved personal accident benefits & higher windscreen limits. There are also changes to ensure you don’t pay higher premiums for claims caused by drink driving the dishonesty of others. We want to explain these changes in plain English.

That’s why we’ve developed Clearway.

If you want to know the exact terms and conditions that will apply, please refer to your new policy document. This will be sent to you after you renew.

Clearway is two way traffic. We want to know what you liked (and what you think we could do better). Your feedback is always very welcome.

Please click the download PDF button below. Thank you for your business and please, drive safely.

Kind regards,
Hugh Keogh Hugh Keogh,
Dolmen Insurance Brokers

Download Campervan Insurance Newsletter

Meet the Camper Team

 

Hugh Keogh

Campervan Insurance

Reporting directly to the Board and attending Board meetings, New business acquisition and servicing designated clients and providing clients with best possible quotes for their requirements. Responsible for the camper account i.e. renewal negotiations with Axa and the like and Underwriting when necessary and sorting out camper section problems within the office.

Call Hugh: 01 802 2330
Email Hugh

Sharon Murphy

Campervan Team

Hello, My name is Sharon and I am part of Dolmen Camper Team. My main role is to help and advise our camper clients or brokers whether by phone or direct, with campervan quotations.

If I can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me on my direct number below or any of the camper team.

Call Sharon: 01 802 2330
Email Sharon

 

Yvonne Flynn

Campervan Team Leader

My name is Yvonne Flynn and I am team leader for the admin/campervan dept. My main role is manage the admin/camper dept in all aspects of the day to day running of each dept.

On a daily basis I deal with all aspects of the customer’s needs both over the phone and in person. If you would like to contact me or my campervan team please e-mail or phone the office and we would be happy to deal with your query.

Call Yvonne: 01 867 2121
Email Yvonne