Mr. Declan Hughes:

I will try to leave some time in case Mr. McDonnell comes back. On work permits, the email contact is there and I know there is a prioritisation process. I can certainly consult colleagues and come back to the Deputy on that. I was not aware there were particular issues with it as it was working well as a fast track. I am certainly happy to come back to the Deputy on that.

With regard to not-for-profits, there are probably about 1,000 regional hubs around the country in various shapes and forms. There are 117 community enterprise centres the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has funded, and many of those have developed into digital hubs, although some have not. We have also funded a wide range of bottom-up and collaborative initiatives, and that is a very good model in the sense we get buy-in at a local level from business groups and from leaders who can serve on the board, drive that and provide advice. From our perspective, we are very much focused not just on the physical infrastructure but also on the business development. These are hubs where entrepreneurs can come in, mingle with other entrepreneurs or businesses and get advice, contacts and develop. In general, that model has served us extremely well. There are others which, for their own reasons, set up commercial activity, and that is absolutely right. There are good rental models and we see those springing up, particularly in the past year.

I am aware there are various funding schemes. The Department of Rural and Community Development recently had a call for its hubs and, although I stand to be corrected, I understand some €8 million was awarded to nearly 100 different businesses. That was open to not-for-profits in local communities but also to others which might have been more commercial. Again, I can follow up with the detail on that for the Deputy.

In regard to insurance reform, the Deputy may have seen the Central Bank's most recent report which was published in the past day or two. The Central Bank is continually monitoring and developing its oversight, data and engagement with the insurance sector. As the Deputy knows, the programme for government has a very strong commitment on insurance reform. It is being led by the Cabinet committee on economic recovery and investment, chaired by the Tánaiste. We have the action plan for insurance reform, which was launched last year. As of the middle of the year, 34 of the 66 actions had been delivered in the first six months of the year and 97% of the actions are scheduled for completion in 2021.

One of those actions refers particularly to the Deputy’s point on the level of competition in the market, the level of profitability and the level of service, a point that was mentioned earlier in terms of the range of providers.

There is a specific item in the action plan to attract additional operators into Ireland. Some might argue that where profitability is seen to increase there is a dynamic, and new operators are attracted in. It is important for us to have certainty in the licensing regime, strong oversight and strong governance of the sector from the Central Bank along with a clear policy framework from the Government and the Department of Finance. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment is very involved in that. A key message to the industry is that there is a significant Government commitment to reforms of PIAB, the book of quantum etc. We are currently developing the general scheme to enhance and reform PIAB.

Regarding the PUP, it can be hard to get staff but the Intreo offices throughout the country and the Department of Social Protection are very engaged on the activation side, working with individuals to provide them with employment opportunities, hopefully for sustainable jobs.