Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Members who contributed to the debate. I am, however, deeply disappointed by the Government's response. It is allowing the motion to go through by abstaining but will do nothing to implement the contents of the motion. I would have more respect for the Government position if it opposed the motion. The only reason it is not doing so is that the Government does not want to suffer another defeat on a Dáil vote.

The people who were caught up in the collapse of Setanta Insurance and Enterprise Insurance want action by Government to address their situation, but we have not had any assurance this evening from the other side of the House that those people will not be left out of pocket. The Minister of State, Deputy Corcoran Kennedy, seems to have copied and pasted extracts from the speech of the Minister of State, Deputy Breen, into her contribution. That is simply not good enough. We have been told that the heads of a Bill on a new motor insurance compensation framework will be brought to Cabinet in the second quarter, but that is a full year on from the publication by Government of the report on the new compensation framework. Not only are we continuing to leave the people affected by the collapse of Setanta Insurance and Enterprise Insurance hanging in limbo, but the message we are sending out to everybody else with a motor insurance policy is that if their insurance company collapses, they, too, will be left in limbo. There is apparently no intention to address the gap in the legislation and the lack of clarity on these matters.

At this late stage, and as we await the Supreme Court decision, there should be renewed efforts by the Government to engage with the insurance industry. Every attempt must be made to come up with a practical solution to assist the people whose lives have been put on hold and who have been, told through legal letters, that they could be personally responsible for the shortage in terms of outstanding claims that may arise out of the liquidation of Setanta Insurance. In other words, they are facing the prospect of having judgments made against their family homes. The Government has failed those people and it is not acceptable. I plead with the Minister, even at this late stage, to engage with the industry, seek to resolve the issues and work to put in place a comprehensive motor insurance framework to deal with any future collapses that may occur.

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