Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will take up that letter with the Irish Insurance Federation. It makes the argument that it is not aware of huge numbers of people who cannot obtain insurance. However, everywhere I go, and Deputies who speak to me on this issue say, there are very clear cases where people cannot get insurance cover. We need to bring this issue to a conclusion. In September, we gave the federation the template upon which the information we gather is based, but we are still waiting for a reply. The Government does not have the power to demand that groups of companies such as this provide insurance cover, but we are running out of patience and I want to bring the issue to a conclusion one way or the other.

The level of testing being imposed on people, as referred to in letter to the Chairman, smacks of an attitude that must be countered. Members may be assured that I will do everything in my power to counter that. I am determined that where we bring an infrastructural project to design, planning and construction stage and prove that infrastructure will withstand significant flooding events, it should follow, as night follows day, that insurance should be provided. It is with regard to those cases that we need clarity.