Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am certainly open to any conversation about any area where we can try to help to improve health and safety. It is not something that I can guarantee will happen, but I am certainly open to any discussion on anything of that nature.

Deputy Pearse Doherty referred to the national insurance claims database. I will read the note because it is comprehensive and it is an important aspect of the work we are doing. The development of a national claims information database is a complex project, as insurers often record data in different ways and we do not necessarily use the same definitions. On 19 December 2017, the Government approved a general scheme for a national claims information database. The Bill is included in the Government legislative programme under the list of priority legislation for publication in this session.

I note this committee indicated to the Minister for Finance in February that it would not conduct pre-legislative scrutiny on the Bill. The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel signed a draft of the Bill on 26 January 2018. Officials in the Department of Finance are currently working with the draftsman to finalise a draft of the Bill as soon as possible. I understand that good progress has been made and I hope the Bill will be published before the end of this legislative session. Consultation also must take place with the European Central Bank on the Bill once it is published. It will take a certain amount of time following publication of the Bill for it to pass through the Houses of the Oireachtas. However, I am hopeful that with the co-operation of all parties in both Houses, it will be considered and approved quickly.

To ensure the database can be put into operation quickly following enactment of the legislation, the Central Bank has continued to work in parallel on the technical specification for a database.

We are going ahead with the legislation in line with the heads of the Bill.