Eamon Scanlon (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank the Tánaiste for the presentation she made. I would also like to mention the work done by the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business on the problems with insurance. The Opposition doubts the commitment on this side of the House to enact the measures contained in this proposal, but my colleagues and I would spend Christmas Day here if I thought we could enact these proposals even an hour sooner.

Motor insurance is not a luxury for young people in rural parts of the State. These young people are fortunate enough to have jobs now and they need transport to get to work. They have no DART, taxis or buses so the only way they can get to work is by car but the way insurance companies have treated them is a disgrace. The companies said they were losing money on motor insurance, particularly with young drivers, but the Motor Insurance Advisory Board showed in its report that these companies were telling lies and were making profits at the expense of young people.

I compliment Quinn Direct, the insurance company that placed an advertisement in every national Sunday newspaper detailing the cost of insurance for young people aged from 18 to 25 years of age. That is the first time I have seen an insurance company in this State producing figures and giving an opportunity to young people to get insurance. The company deserves credit for taking that initiative. Previously, a young person would ring one company and be quoted a price of €3,000 and the next would quote a price of €4,500. There is no set figure. I do not understand why a 19 year old who owns a car of a certain size can receive quotations that are so different. That must be addressed and I welcome every proposal put forward by the Tánaiste tonight.

I am concerned about the provision, however, that a person must claim within one year. There is no doubt that the fraudulent will have their claims in within a year but decent people who might be involved in an accident might not notice the injury caused by the accident for two or three years. That should be considered because it would be wrong to rule such decent people out if they have a genuine claim for compensation for an injury that was not immediately recognisable.