Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Regarding the Circuit Court figures Deputy Pearse Doherty has, the issue is that two thirds of the cases are for under €20,000. These are the ones doing the damage. They are doing appalling damage to the businesses and festivals he talks about and which everyone here is trying to protect. It is the small damages, the small claims, that are doing the catastrophic damage to businesses and companies.

I have met representatives of all the insurance companies and of Insurance Ireland and, as I said, two weeks ago I went to London to meet the underwriters as well. The message from the underwriters is very clear: reduce the awards and improve the methodology by which claims are presented to the system in Ireland. The best example was one case they presented to me - I did not see any names - in which an award of €8,000 was made with calculated fees of €40,000 clocked up over four years. That era must end. They are very clear that if that system continues in our jurisdiction, they are out and they are not participating.

Perhaps I have all my eggs in one basket, but it is the correct basket and the correct pathway with the Judiciary, the third leg of government in this State. We can get into a row and rock on down the road of perhaps having a referendum. I do not believe that is the way to go. The Judiciary has the opportunity to conclude this calendar year work on the five main areas of reform for the guidelines. The hundreds more that will follow can happen subsequently, in 2020. Let us deal with the bigger areas that are doing damage and in respect of which the insurance companies are saying if this does not change, they will be out and will not come back.

Deputy Pearse Doherty should make no mistake: I am not pretending I am comfortable with insurance companies taking money from businesses and from people and entering into contracts with them for years and then just exiting and leaving their clients high and dry when it gets tough.

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