Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the members of the public from Dublin South-Central and hope they will have a lovely day. It is great to see them in the Visitors Gallery.

I express my disgust and disappointment at the Government's delay in dealing with very high insurance premiums, not just for car users but also for business owners for public liability insurance. One of the reasons for the high premiums is the enormous payouts in personal injury cases. Under the Judicial Council Bill which was passed on Second Stage in this House in 2017, there were to be judicial guidelines on payments in personal injury cases. We are told that there is a delay in taking the legislation on Committee Stage because the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill is still going through the House.I do not agree with this. There is no reason whatsoever that we cannot bring the Judicial Council Bill to the House. In the meantime, the Minister has asked the Judiciary and the Chief Justice to set up a non-statutory committee to deal with guidelines for personal injury payments. However, we should all agree that putting these guidelines on a statutory footing is the best and firmest way to proceed. Today, therefore, I give notice to the House that I will propose to amend the Order of Business next week to allow for the Judicial Council Bill to be brought to Committee Stage. I am giving one week's notice in order that the House will have an opportunity to submit amendments to the Bill, and it is for this reason I raise the matter today.

The second matter I wish to raise concerns an online issue affecting children called the Momo challenge. This is when children are on social media outlets and some sort of virus or worm called the Momo challenge appears and asks them to carry out various dangerous tasks, including self-harm. The Garda has appealed for children and vulnerable people online to be supervised. I once again call on the Government to establish an office of digital safety commissioner. A digital safety commissioner could be ahead of the curve in educating parents and children in order that these phenomena - I do not know whether one would call them online viruses - do not affect children and that our children are protected and kept safe while online and parents are educated.

The third matter I wish to raise concerns a report on the rezoning of industrial estates in Dublin that was commissioned by Dublin City Council. The proposed sites are, on the north side, Oscar Traynor Road and the Malahide Road and, in my own constituency, Kylemore Road, Park West and Inchicore Railway Works. This is a great idea and is to be welcomed. Many of these industrial estates are served by the Luas and there are great transport links. It is time the Government ensured an increased supply of housing. This is one measure which I have called for in recent years, and I am glad to see it being given some very serious thought by the council.