Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I hope it will not arise again because I believe the problem has been solved.

The Government has a policy of decentralisation. Before a new board settles down in its suite of offices in Dublin city centre or CityWest the Minister should consider locating it in the BMW region. I am sure the Leas-Chathaoirleach would not mind having it in the west.

I also recognise the work of Senator O'Toole, who has made a major contribution to the introduction of the Bill. I note the legislation does not preclude Oireachtas Members from being members of the board. There is no reason why an elected public representative, such as a councillor, Senator or Deputy, should not play a part in its deliberations.

Dorothea Dowling is an extremely talented lady, who will ensure this will be a success. She is giving a great degree of commitment to the board. Is it necessary to prevent a person from meeting or being interviewed by members of the board? People would feel more assured if they had that opportunity. While the majority of cases should be settled without personal contact with representatives of the board, I do not see why this should be excluded.

Motor claims cause great problems and should be dealt with by the board as quickly as possible. I am pleased the Minister has indicated that the board will deal with such claims by about June 2004. Many reforms have already been carried out and the Minister and her colleagues in Government have been actively working on the action plan to implement the recommendations of the report of the Motor Insurance Advisory Board. Many of the recommendations have already been implemented by the Government and have brought about results. It is believed that 77 lives have been saved because of these and other steps taken by the Minister for Transport. However, there are many other areas in which action can be taken.

The recommendations by the joint committee are also worthwhile. The Minister and her officials have contributed by attending some of the meetings. Many recommendations will assist in bringing down the cost of insurance. It is imperative that premiums are reduced. It is also important that young drivers be given the opportunity to get insurance, as the cost of it is now prohibitive for them.

I acknowledge the contribution of the "Prime Time" programme and the work of Pat McDonagh and others who have highlighted the occurrence of false claims. "Prime Time" showed that an individual in Cork made, I understand, seven consecutive claims, yet nobody was prepared to challenge him. More exposure of such false claims will help to bring about improvements.