Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming here today, for making their presentations, for all of the work they do and for the commitment that they and their staff have.

It is very much appreciated.

A number of people touched on the issue of insurance. Could we have some idea of the annual premium for the average facility at the moment? What is the level of claims against facilities? Can it be averaged out as, say, one claim per ten, 20 or 30 facilities per annum? Do the witnesses have any figures for the total number of claims against childcare facilities per annum? I know insurance is quite expensive, but could we have any guideline as to what is happening to justify the cost of insurance being imposed on the witnesses' sector?