Mr. Pat Kirwan:

In reality, we get tangentially involved in many of these matters. State indemnity does not cover the Tidy Towns groups and nor does it cover many of these schemes. However, to address Deputy Fitzmaurice's point, there sometimes is a level of misunderstanding and bureaucracy that a working group could probably cut through. We are involved tangentially, as I stated, with programmes like the CE schemes and some of the other schemes whereby some of the delegated State authorities we indemnify take on a volunteer worker. In such a case, State indemnity probably works to an advantage where there is not a renewal of policy once we can get those people to fully understand that in the case of an employee working for the HSE or a voluntary body on a temporary basis, State indemnity covers the activities they are doing for the period they are working there. It simplifies the process in a way. I am not sure what we would have to contribute to such a working group but we are absolutely willing to be involved in any initiative of that sort.