Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have not seen it. As I said, it has not arrived yet but it is imminent. There are no proposals for a referendum on compensation payments currently. I acknowledge in this context the work done by the Minister of State, Deputy Michael D'Arcy, and his predecessor, the current Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, which has had results. For example, motor insurance premiums peaked in 2016, having risen very steeply, and they have now fallen by 20%. Much of that is down to the work led by those Deputies. Health insurance costs had been increasing very rapidly under previous Governments but they have levelled off and even fallen in the last year or two. Much of that is down to the legislation we introduced on lifetime community rating, which has worked. It is legislation I brought through the House and which has made a difference to health insurance costs which had been rising every year for I do not know how long. They have now levelled off and actually fallen for VHI customers.

On affordability, I am advised that approximately 1,000 Rebuilding Ireland home loans have already been approved, which is a not insubstantial number.

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