Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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401. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the Department's plans to support the owners of thatched buildings with rising and crippling public liability insurance costs. [55053/22]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I am very aware of the concern expressed by owners of thatched properties in relation to their difficulties with insurance. Under Action 6 of the strategy for built vernacular heritage, A Living Tradition, launched in December 2021, my Department has undertaken to “investigate and work to resolve the urgent issue of affordability of insurance for thatched buildings”, as well as other relevant issues relating to thatch and thatched buildings.

My Department’s built heritage unit has been working to progress the resolution of these issues and a steering group, expressly tasked with advising on this particular action, has been set up. This group is chaired by a thatcher, who is also a thatch-owner, and includes a second thatch owner, a thatching inspector with the Department, and a local authority architectural conservation officer and a heritage officer, a representative of the Heritage Council, and a representative of the Department for Communities (NI).

A specialist has also been engaged to carry out an urgent assessment of the insurance sector as it applies to thatched properties. This has involved engagement with thatch-owners, insurance brokers, insurance companies, the supervisory authorities (including the FSPO, Central Bank, Department of Finance), local authorities and any other relevant bodies. An interim report was received at the end of September and the final report is due at the end of this month. My Department is prepared to act quickly on the findings of this report. In the meantime, we continue to explore all options for dealing with these matters.