Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On a final point, while the public will make their own minds up in this regard, it is blatantly true that the Government legislation does not do what my legislation does. The Government would not even be as bold as to make that statement, no harm to it. Is it not true that Insurance Ireland does not want this legislation because if the Central Bank had the power to collect this information on what the levels of award are, what the premiums charged are and what they would be if the claims had not been reduced, Insurance Ireland would have nowhere to hide? Its members would be exposed for the price gouging that they are involved in. Its members are willing to submit the same information in Britain on the reduction of awards but they tell us here that would be too bureaucratic, too difficult and would cause time delays and all the rest. Is it not the reality that they would be caught red-handed on price gouging? The CEOs who came before this committee spun us a pack of lies when they told us that the awards would be dropping by 20% on public liability.