Mr McNarry said many lodges were unable to get a quote

Ulster Unionist member David McNarry said many Orange lodges were unable to get a quote from any insurance company.

He said he was asking the Association of British Insurers to investigate.

"It appears as if a cartel of insurers is operating by the insurers against offering cover to Orange halls," he said.

"One Orange hall had approached 37 different insurers looking for public liability cover and had no success."

It appears as if a cartel of insurers is operating by the insurers against offering cover to Orange halls David McNarry Orange Order

A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers said increased insurance quotes reflected dramatic rises in the cost of public liability insurance since the attacks on 11 September, 2001.

He said the increase in the number of claims across the UK meant insurers were making bigger payouts and costs were rising.

The Orange Order is the largest Protestant organisation in Northern Ireland with at least 75,000 members.

The order is organised into hundreds of lodges, which meet at Orange halls.