James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh gach duine ó Scoil an Duinnínigh, Sord, atá sa Gailearaí.

I welcome the Minister of State. I really wecome the Judicial Council Bill. The amendments the Minister has tabled on Report Stage will make a great difference. They address many of the concerns of businesspeople who are under tremendous pressure as the economy recovers from hikes in insurance premiums which are sometimes outrageous. They are putting some out of business and making it impossible to hold charity events. Much of this is being driven by excessive awards that are totally out of sync with those made in our European neighbours, particularly the United Kingdom, on the law of which much of ours is based. Therefore, I really welcome the Bill and the fact that there will be a commission to review all awards made and ensure they are brought back into line with European norms. There is a concern that this work needs to be done quickly and that it cannot take two years. There is a significant concern among members of the Insurance Alliance, which welcomes many aspects of this Bill, that there will be delays in its implementation. We need the legislation implemented as quickly as possible. There is unanimous support for this in the House and among our citizens who take risks and set up their own business, and innovate. Many of the young people who are in the Gallery today will be among them. People need to be able to run their businesses without fear of being put out of business by fraudulent or excessive claims and excessive insurance costs.