Mr. Kevin Thompson:

Following on from the theme set by the Deputies, to respond to Deputy Dooley on the claims processing, our sector is a regulated sector so we would follow the consumer protection code in terms of the rules laid down by the Central Bank of Ireland on our duties and administrating claims. Chapter 7 of that code is explicit and I would argue strongly that our members follow that to the letter in the interests of the consumer.

Part of that consumer protection code highlights that a regulated entity must endeavour to verify and validate a claim received from a claimant prior to making a decision on its outcome. There is a duty on insurers, therefore, to make sure we pay valid claims, and that we verify that claims are valid. We sympathise with the consumers who have been affected by this petrol stretching issue but we have an obligation to make sure that we validate claims in a correct manner.

Regarding the specific examples the members got from their constituents, I can only stand by the figures we have been given, and those figures are correct. We have surveyed our members. We have paid 600 claims. I come back to my earlier comment in respect of the way our members compete and how the market is different. Different policies will have different levels of cover-----