Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Deputy's remarks and I am sure the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, would concur with much of what he said. The Government is satisfied that the new arrangements for the Insurance Compensation Fund, with the procedures for accessing funds, mean that from now on other claimants will be able to receive payments more efficiently and regularly.

I acknowledge the Deputy's welcome for the setting of the court date. He is right that there is now light at the end of the tunnel. It involves an input from a number of bodies, including the Central Bank and the State Claims Agency. The House will appreciate that, with the new arrangements, there is a considerable amount of detailed work attached to the process and that it is important to get it right. Nonetheless, the Minister is determined that all Setanta claimant payments will be issued as soon as is practicable. He welcomes the news from the State Claims Agency that the next court hearing will be later this month, with a view to the next tranche of claims being paid by late November or early December.

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