Mr. Lawrence Owens:

The Deputy is correct that there are question marks in terms of the accuracy of the entire CFRAM document, which is a comprehensive study. It was to have given the insurance companies more data with which to make informed decisions on whether they can say "Yes", but ironically it has given the insurance companies a bigger argument with which to say "No". The answer cannot be achieved without the insurance industry being absolutely involved in the decision-making process, but we must look at agreed standards of internal construction or defence mechanisms within each building, which should be part of the insurance companies' pitch for customers' policies. That should be agreed with Government involvement. We have guidance for structures of agreed standards and benchmarks for businesses, which is assurance for the insurance industry.

We all want this to work but I do not believe the State is a get-out-of-jail card. It has a governance role. The combination of logical, agreed standards from best practice and knowledge in the OPW, or whoever would provide that information, would be helpful. Dialogue and discussion are also helpful because once there is an episode, there is an inundation of visitations, and Cork is no different from anywhere else. We get tremendous degrees of concern but then the floods dry up, the river moves on and we are back in the same situation.

We need to look actively at some resolution to the problem. It is an issue for inward investment and for business development throughout the country. It is a roadblock we need to take out of the way. How it is done may be a combination of what can be done from a business perspective. There is an onus on individual businesses, on the Government to control it, on Insurance Ireland to be reasonable and fair in its methodology and on looking at agreed standards in design, construction and enforcement.