Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I think the Leas-Chathaoirleach did. Engagement with the insurance companies has been complex and requires a solution from the point of view that not all of them have paid out. As the Minister of State knows quite well, the majority of the people have coverage to protect them from unexpected events. This fire was an unexpected event. To say the least, there has been obfuscation, foot dragging and a less than complete outcome in terms of payment to the traders. It has been piecemeal and laborious. This is a very complex matter because the shopping centre owner is dealing with his issues and the individual traders are dealing with theirs. There is also the issue of the insurance companies telling the traders many different things. The important point is there is a need for the insurance companies to pay out to the individual traders under the business interruption charge so if a business is closed for a period of time a mechanism is available. Cork City Council has waived the fees and rates for those businesses that have shut down. The business interruption charge is about the traders being able to have that money paid out to them through their insurance.

Something that has been very vexing for the traders is that the insurance companies are telling them to go to the owner of the shopping centre to get a letter of comfort stating it will open on, for example, 1 July 2020, which is just a date I have picked. As we all know, the owner of the shopping centre cannot give an exact date because there is a myriad issues. It is just in the past week and a half that we have seen the last remaining cars removed from the roof. This has been kicked down the road. There is a sense that everyone is waiting for someone else to make the first move. I hope that through his good offices the Minister of State will be able to call in the insurance industry to ask it to ensure these traders, who were vulnerable before the fire and are even more vulnerable now, are able to find a solution to their issue. In fairness, some of them received an initial downpayment of 10%, 8% or 15% but payments need to be made and we need to give certainty to the traders.