The Government is to establish a new group looking at gaps in the insurance market for flood protection – chaired by the former top civil servant in the Department of Health. Jim Breslin has been appointed by Minister for Finance Simon Harris, who worked with the former official when he was secretary general of the Department of Health and latterly the Department of Higher and Further Education. In a statement on Tuesday morning, the Department of Finance said the new group will undertake a time-bound programme of work “aimed at identifying practical solutions and strengthening resilience to flood risk”. Amid a higher incidence of damaging floods in recent years, many homeowners and businesses have found themselves left without flood insurance as firms deem their locations too risky to write policies for. It will bring together Government departments, agencies, insurers and other stakeholders “to examine practical measures to reduce the flood insurance protection gap and improve access to insurance for households and businesses in areas at risk of flooding”. In a statement to mark the passage of a year since the Coalition launched its action plan for insurance reform, Harris said important milestones had been reached but momentum had to be maintained to deliver improvements for consumers, businesses and community organisations. “The establishment of the Flood Insurance Protection Gap working group is an important next step,” he said, describing the matter as “one of the most challenging issues facing the insurance market”. The Department of Finance said progress had been made in several areas since the plan was launched, including the enactment of “Right to be Forgotten” legislation and progress on personal injuries reform.Water from the River Slaney surrounds a bench after the river burst its banks during Storm Chandra in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, in January 2026. Photograph: Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images Minister of State at the Department of Finance Robert Troy said the announcement demonstrates “continued commitment to implementing the action plan and ensuring that the benefits of reform are reflected in better outcomes for consumers, businesses and community organisations across Ireland.”There are 26 actions in the plan, including ten priority actions, aimed at improving affordability, transparency, competition and availability in the period to 2029. [ Up to 37,000 mortgaged households are in high-risk flood zonesOpens in new window ]