COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, October 14, 2024

QUESTION NO.13

QUESTION: Councillor W. Carey

To ask the manager if the legal dept can review the need for informal groups to require public liability insurance when booking use of SDCC community centres and facilities. These are often prohibitive to groups attempting to start up, evolving and growing, when trying to get voluntary groups established.

REPLY:

The Council is advised by our insurers Irish Public Bodies that community/voluntary organisations using Council owned facilities should have public liability insurance and within their policy have South Dublin County Council indemnified to the value of €6.5million. The Community Services Department would also advise the same, on the grounds of best practice and good governance for both community facilities operations and community/voluntary groups.

A community facility's board of management may have the provisions within their public liability insurance policy to insure and cover the activities of a new voluntary group using their centre, who are just starting up for an initial time. Once established the group should then take out their own insurance policy based on the above advice. Our community development team is available to assist and advise community facility boards of management and community groups on such matters.