Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I know about the work that is under way on insurance reform. It will be useful, but what will happen before those recommendations are made and put in place? The Minister of State spoke about the funding that the Government had given local authorities. In the interim, could work be done to ensure that at least some of that funding is made available to local communities so that they might get some level of insurance? It could be an umbrella scheme or whatever. Many groups that are sitting down to plan for the end of this year and next year will not be able to proceed because they cannot get quotes and cannot take on personal liability. This is an urgent matter. Once some of these festivals stop, how we will be able to get their committees back up and running again? Can anything be done in the short term before the insurance reform committee reports?

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