James Bannon (Fine Gael)

Is the Minister of State indicating that he is considering index-linking by 2020? He said index-linking would take care of the situation by 2020. I accept that there is a glimmer of hope. I appreciate that he mentioned another Department being involved. Why complicate the matter by bringing extra bureaucracy into the system? Why can it not be done in the context of the Bill? It has been done in other Bills and, perhaps, it should be considered.

Another issue is the high cost of insurance for events where large crowds congregate. We are aware of the astronomical costs. Will the relevant Department introduce legislation to reduce the cost of insurance? When the legislation is improved, insurance costs should be taken into account immediately by the insurance company. For any of us who are involved in organising events, there is always the question of whether they can proceed because of the high cost of insurance. The Licensing of Indoor Events Bill will greatly improve the position because of what it is doing to protect the health and safety of people.

I hope the issue of insuring events will be dealt with quickly. St. Patrick's Day parades, as well as various football, swimming, angling and other events, were under threat this year. We have all had the experience of events which came to a close call. This evening we could be racing at Kilbeggan were it not for a safety issue with regard to an ambulance track around the course. While insurance costs for that particular event are extremely high, I understand the committee had paid the insurance costs. While the right decision was taken in the interests of safety, we would like to see such matters cleared up in order that there would not be a loss to the local economy.