Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I do not think the Minister of State will get anyone who will disagree with him there. They are part of our heritage and it is why we want to continue this and come to a solution where we do not lose any more. As was said before, you can travel all around the country and it is something that really sticks out in a town or village. The last thing we want to see is them falling away because there is no insurance and that the only place we would see them is on postcards. The Minister of State has to realise the pressure people are under if they cannot insure them. One of the only options they see is to get out of the protected structure and take the thatch off because it is not viable that they continue living in these houses without any insurance.

I have two quick questions before I let in other members. Does the Minister of State see any opportunity in the directive to adopt legal provisions protecting the general good in their own territory? There was reference to increasing supply of affordable insurance for the given risk. Has that been examined to its full extent?