Ms Moyagh Murdock:

I thank the Deputy. I cannot commit to having something that will solve everything before Christmas. All I can continue to say is that we will work with the local authorities, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Government to ensure that we can do as much as possible. That does include reducing the risk of fire. We really welcome the work that is being done on that. As well as that, we would certainly be positive towards group schemes. We know that 90% of thatched owners are interested in forming a group. That sets minimum standards and everybody tries to attain those. The risk is reduced. Part of the challenge, however, as odd as it may seem, is that there are a very small number of thatched cottages in Ireland, which means that the actual premium derived from the insurance is equally tiny.

The Deputy mentioned the duty of care legislation. That really does not come into it when it is home insurance and thatched cottage insurance. Insurers cannot cross-subsidise loss-making lines and may not even sell certain lines. They may be in the motor sector only or they may be in the life insurance sector. While results may demonstrate that there are profits, the motor policy holders would not be happy that they are cross-subsidising other loss-making areas of insurance. That is why we have to work with Government and work-----