The Law Reform Commission has stated in a recently published report that some Irish insurance legislation is grossly out of date, by more than 200 years in some cases.
The commission has said that Ireland is badly lagging behind most developed countries in terms of insurance laws.
And furthermore, the report claims that companies often quote this ancient legislation to avoid making pay-outs.
For instance, a company can legally refuse to make a payment if a customer mistakenly leaves out information on their application.
According to Raymond Byrne of the Law Reform Commission, in some cases the amount payable is reduced to zero due to minor mistakes which may not even affect a particular claim.
He said that even if the full amount is not paid, a lesser amount should be granted.