Ms Verona Murphy:

I would like to address that from our perspective. We are not in line with that train of thought as a short-term solution. One will have constitutional challenges to the type of model that is being aired there. It has been tried in England but is not yet in legislation. The proposal has been flagged that one would have payment for treatment as opposed to an award of costs. Our model is a solution that can happen in the morning.

Instead of me as a haulier having to operate out of the jurisdiction and reflag my whole business, why can I not simply obtain my insurance? That is not bringing the competitor to Ireland. It is allowing me to access the competition and then I can determine whether it is competitive or not. One knows the answer to the proverb, "If the mountain will not come to Muhammad". We should be allowed to access the Single Market as commercial entities.

Senator Kieran O’Donnell asked if this is a cartel. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it is a duck. Brian Hayes, MEP, has called for the EU competition authority to investigate this. I cannot see why this cannot be allowed. A month ago, it was announced a cartel was deemed to exist in the truck manufacturing sector and the manufacturers have been fined €2.3 billion. We complained about it for seven years. It was 11 years before anything was carried out. I do not know why we would wait in the case of insurance. If we are even thinking it is a cartel, it should be investigated. I suggest that would cure the situation almost immediately.