Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Some people were getting insurance but insurance companies have since decided there is a risk. Insurance for a thatched cottage is available in Northern Ireland for €749 but the equivalent insurance in the Republic is priced at 1% of the value of the property. That could be anything from €3,000 upwards. That is the problem we have. The fear communicated to the committee was that if that situation continues, people will not be able to get insurance for thatched cottages and we will lose something very Irish, pictures of which might be seen on a postcard. We will not see any more thatched cottages and people will start to replace the roofs. We hope to come to some sort of settlement with insurance companies or put pressure on them to continue what they were offering.