Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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167. To ask the Minister for Finance following the commencement date, if he will consider establishing mandatory furnishing of fire and accidental damage insurance policies prior to commencement of private construction contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25411/13]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I understand from clarifications that my Department sought on this question that the Deputy is enquiring whether fire and accidental damage insurance policies (which I am deeming to be a form of public liability insurance) should be a compulsory requirement for contractors carrying out private construction contracts. Although such cover is not currently a compulsory requirement, it is deemed an essential requirement by many bodies that authorise others to conduct work on their behalf, e.g. many primary contractors will refuse to allow sub contractors onto a site without proof that they hold adequate public liability cover, even though it is not a legal requirement. In addition, it is advisable for anybody getting work carried out in their home to ensure that a contractor is properly insured before commencing work. This avoids any potential dispute over liability should an accident happen or if any problems arise with the work carried out.

There are currently no proposals to make public liability insurance compulsory. It should be noted that any decision of this nature would have implications for the small business sector and therefore would first require consultation with the relevant stakeholders.