Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

I was about to say to Deputy Ó Caoláin, before Deputy Higgins interrupted, that I share his view that people should be clear when dealing with a person investigating an insurance company claim that they are dealing with a representative of an insurance company, not a person implying or insinuating that he or she is a person in authority dealing with the same issue. There is nothing wrong, in principle, with retired members of the Garda Síochána acting as claims investigators. However, there should be clear distinctions, protections and ethical guidelines to ensure that nobody pretends to be a person in authority and that people do not feel they are dealing with a person in authority investigating the claim from a different perspective in the context of an insurance claim investigation.

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