Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

I compliment the Deputy for the work he is doing and his engagement with the SME sector as a spokesperson on SMEs for the party. When I met RGDATA with the Deputy last week, we listened jointly to the challenges facing the industry, which are not just about insurance but the whole competitiveness area. The Minister for enterprise is bringing forward an action plan on competitiveness. One of the key decisions taken by the Government was not to impose the recommended price increase with regard to personal injuries awards and to park that decision.

I ask SMEs to look at the track record of the Government with regard to the action plan the last time. It did deliver results. The actions were meaningful and we did see premiums decrease at a rate unlike across the water in the UK or across the EU. They have started to increase again and that is why we are determined that the new action plan will build on the progress of the past and we will hopefully see premiums reduced further.

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