Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the developments in respect of this issue and the fact that the High Court has ruled the MIBI liable for this. When my colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty, raised this issue with the Minister a great many months ago, the Minister said, on the record, that he felt the MIBI would be called upon, saying "The Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland, MIBI, has indicated that it intends to accept all third party claims connected to Setanta policies." The insurance industry then piped up and proffered legal advice and, suddenly, there was a backtracking by the State which then said the insurance compensation fund would be called upon.

In fact, if one reads the letters from the Law Society, which were published, it is striking that both the insurance industry and the Attorney General's office cite unambiguous legal advice on the issue. It is 19 months since Sinn Féin raised this with the Minister and it is now time to do something for these individuals. One Law Society letter cites an example of a very ill gentleman with a shortened life expectancy who is awaiting a payout of €400,000. He remains in this legal limbo and he will not be paid until the end of this process. Why is there confusion within government and why is it there a delay on the government side? When will some level of compensation be given to these individuals?

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