Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to ask the Minister two questions. I will use some of the five minutes and then Deputy Harkin can take the rest of the time. My first question concerns the insurance business and insurance costs. The Minister outlined in his responses earlier that he was meeting the banks and insurance companies and so on and outlining to them that he wanted them to deal with insurance costs. I was wondering specifically about people who are looking to make a claim. For example, I have one letter from an insurance company to a business in which it asks the business to make a claim in order that it can look at it and make a decision on it. The information the insurance company asks for is: the date on which the notifiable disease on the premises occurred and when it was brought to the business's attention; the date on which restrictions by the competent authority were put in place; and the period of the restrictions. I think the Department of Finance or the Government or somebody could respond to that business person with a letter outlining the relevant dates, which the business person could then put forward to the insurance company for it to make a decision on the matter. It would be interesting to bring it to a head and force the insurance company into making a decision on it. That would be very important for business people in this difficult time. Will the Minister comment on that?

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