Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Extraordinary damage has been done across the country to many families, homes and businesses, particularly in Limerick, Galway, Cork and Clare, and the various coastlines. There has been an extraordinary degree of damage across the board and there is great concern out there about people's capacity to insure and reinsure their property and maintain their insurance in all these locations. In the UK, legislation was passed which obliges insurance companies not to discontinue insurance policies with households, entities and business people in such situations. Many people and businesses are potentially facing ruin if this question of insurance is not adequately addressed.

The Government has promised an insurance Bill. Could the Taoiseach indicate when that will be published and whether it will deal with the issues concerning the level and degree of insurance and reinsurance in cases of flooding and severe weather damage? In the context of the Finance Bill, people are getting tired of hearing annually from Ministers after flood damage or weather events that funding will be made available, and then a couple of months later nobody can find the funding or access it. That happened last year. We need to know how much money, in addition to what was already provided in the annual Estimates, will be made available and whether a Supplementary Estimate is required to put flesh on the bones of the Government's response to these appalling situations.

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