Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ms Murphy spoke about competition and the idea of an inquiry. That is great but, realistically speaking, these inquiries take time and it would be two to five years before it was completed and even then it would not solve the problem. Four or five years ago, insurance levels were okay for everybody but then they started rising. Does she agree that rules brought in by Europe and the Central Bank, requiring us to have enough as a back-up for doomsday, are a factor? When the recession hit, many people got on the gravy train and made numerous claims for whiplash. There is a tendency now to claim for every knock. Does Ms Murphy agree that there are three or four different factors at play? The existence of a cartel is certainly one but many people are making claims because we underwent a recession. This is something we always see and it is a trend seen in other countries when people get into tight spots. Does Ms Murphy think that, as well as fraud, regulatory measures introduced in the context of doomsday scenarios - as they were in respect of marts and credit unions - when everything would crash and companies would need to be bailed out, are also a factor?