Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone for being here today. I apologise for being late but I am attending the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage next door, so I am trying to double job. It is great to see two Ministers of State from two Departments represented here today. That is pretty unusual in my experience of committees. It is a great example of why cross-departmental collaboration is so important.

The Joint Committee on Public Petitions is a very interesting one because it is where something has come to us from a member of the public. It has usually come because a person has exhausted all other options or because it is a cross-departmental issue, and we need to get the right people around the table in order to make progress. I thank the Ministers of State for being present today to show that strength of collaboration.

The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, referred in his opening statement to the fact that thatching is a living tradition. Unfortunately, it is also a dying trade. Newstalk did a feature on it earlier in the week. That is also the case with so many trades in Ireland, which unfortunately are dying. We want to make sure that things that are part of our heritage continue to be visible. I holiday every year in Wexford and I love seeing the thatched cottages dotted around the place. They are a significant tourist attraction. They are a great way of celebrating and recognising our heritage and these living traditions and old trades.

Fire prevention must be a key priority when it comes to any property, whether that is a home, a public house or another business premises. I agree with what Mr. Sinnott says about reducing the risk of fire. That goes hand in hand with what the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, has been talking about in terms of reducing the insurance premiums, because if we can reduce the risk and reduce the insurance premium that would make it so much more accessible for people. Right now, it is not accessible for people. That is what we hear on the ground from people who want to own a property that is thatched or who want to continue to keep a property alive and to renovate it. We are in the midst of a housing crisis, and we talk about vacancy and tackling dereliction. We must make sure that none of these places end up in that situation. The way to do that is to give people equal and fair access to insurance. I welcome the point made by the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, that the report is due at the end of this month. It would be very helpful if it was circulated to this committee once it is published.

In terms of the 66 actions to which the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming referred, it is incredible that after the third implementation report that 90% of what the Government can do has now been done. I know there are legal cases and issues outside the Government's control that must proceed through the courts, but that is a great achievement in itself. He has set out for us today that because of that we are not only attracting foreign direct investment, FDI, but we are getting back FDI that we lost because of this situation. That is a very big deal because it means jobs on the ground in communities around the country. It is very important that it is happening.

While those jobs are critical, the other jobs that are important are the jobs of thatchers and the jobs of those who work in pubs with thatched roofs. We want to make sure the message is being heard loud and clear here today. We heard talk previously about the idea of an insurance ombudsman. Would that perhaps deal with some of the issues the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, has been outlining in terms of fraudulent cases and the premium reductions being enforced? If we were to go down that route and it is something he is interested in looking at, does the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, think thatched roofs could come under it, as a stream within a potential insurance ombudsman's workstream?