-----of providing protection for households and businesses. Speaking to any of the unfortunate householder or businesses in areas where the schemes have been held up for a myriad of reasons over the past number of years, they eagerly await the roll-out of the flood defence mechanisms. It is fair to say that in many constituencies, such as in Athlone in my own constituency, where permanent flood defence measures have been introduced, they have brought a real sense of confidence and reassurance to people who have pre…

I thank the Deputies for raising their points. I do not know whether Deputy Byrne was present earlier when I mentioned that the Cabinet committee on climate action, environment and energy is meeting tomorrow to examine what immediate measures can be taken to protect areas where there is a longer lead-in for permanent flood defence measures to be introduced. In relation to Deputy Callaghan's points on the thatched issue, that is something I am acutely aware of. It is a very niche part of the market. I have been in L…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The Government is progressing the commitments in the programme for Government to further reform the insurance sector in Ireland and ensure transparency, affordability and availability of insurance for all consumers. Significant progress was achieved through the 2020 action plan for insurance reform. Key measures delivered included the introduction of the personal injuries guidelines, legal reforms to rebalance the duty of care and the establishment of the office to promot…

We have seen an increase in car insurance in the past 12 months but that came on the back of reductions over the previous number of years. The previous action plan delivered savings in the motor insurance industry in particular. I acknowledge that some of those gains have started to be eroded. That is why there was a need to introduce a further action plan to continue to build on the progress of its predecessor. The Central Bank collates insurance data on an annual basis, which it makes available. That is how we ca…

To be fair to the insurance industry, and we quite frequently stand to criticise it, providers introduced a voluntary code of practice in this area back in December 2023. It was on the back of that voluntary code that we were able to see the difference the right to be forgotten makes to cancer survivors. We have brought forward provisions in the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2025 to put that voluntary code on a statutory basis. It is my intention to bring the Bill to Committee Stage within the next couple of months…

First, I would like to acknowledge the serious damage caused by recent storm events, and the impact they have had on families, communities and businesses. In the aftermath of Storm Bram and Storm Chandra, I engaged with Insurance Ireland, the representative body for the Irish insurance industry, regarding the insurance sector’s response to claims and reiterated the Government’s expectations that insurance companies should treat policyholders fairly and expediently in the context of claims relating to Storm Bram. In…

I thank the Deputy. I will need to ask the insurance industry about that specific question he raised regarding how a previous flood claim may exclude people from future cover. I cannot quantify if that has happened in the past, and, if so, in how many instances. I will undertake to get that information and relay it to the Deputy. It is a problem. We mentioned in previous replies that approximately 5% of buildings are excluded from flood insurance because of previous floods or because they have been identified in a …

I would love to think that the insurance companies would help with flood prevention mechanisms, but I do not think that is realistic. The challenge and the frustration of Government, and I made this point in reply to a previous question, is that insurance companies have not responded positively where the Government has expended large sums of money installing permanent flood defence mechanisms and where policyholders in those areas are still finding it difficult to obtain insurance. I met the Minister of State, Depu…

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. He has made some very valid points and I share his concern about the need for the Government to support the working family man and woman. Section 470 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 provides for tax relief for private health insurance. This relief is in respect of payments made to authorised insurers under relevant contracts for medical insurance and dental insurance. Income tax relief is granted at the standard rate of income tax, currently 20%, subject to certain l…

The Senator makes very well-founded points. It is important that we look at next year's budget in the context of how we can support working families who currently are feeling the pressure. Last year's budget took the prudent decision to protect our economy, to protect businesses and to protect jobs. If we do not have jobs, then we have a bigger problem. The Government and the new Minister for Finance - the Tánaiste - have very clearly said it is our intention to ensure that we look at taxation measures that will su…

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. The Government is committed to supporting Irish people when they return from abroad to work. In relation to the specific issues raised by the Senator about access to mortgage and insurance products, it is important that fair and reasonable access to financial services and products is available for all. However, there are also important consumer protection and prudential requirements associated with the provision of such financial products to consumers. These measures are …

The Senator has made a very strong point on behalf of returning emigrants . It is a sign of a good, successful economy that people want to return home. However, with that, some problems arise. There are regulatory frameworks governing the provision of mortgages and car insurance for consumers, which are designed to protect consumers and overall financial stability. Within that overall framework, it is a business decision for mortgage and insurance providers to decide whether to provide a mortgage, loan or car insur…

Section 20 is a standard provision, which allows the credit reviewer, if required, to appear before an Oireachtas committee, other than the Committee of Public Accounts, as that is separately provided for under section 19. It specifies that he or she shall not testify before such a committee in relation to any matter that is sub judice , which is a case under judgment, or comment on Government policy. As the Senator rightly acknowledges, since the Credit Review Office was established in 2010, it has done really goo…

I thank all the Senators for their contributions to the discussion of this Bill as it proceeded through the House, in particular last week, and for their presence here this evening. The work the Credit Review Office has done since it was established in 2010 has given valuable assistance to viable SME and farm businesses in obtaining bank credit. Placing the office on a firm statutory basis recognises that value and endorses the credit review service as a permanent feature of the SME credit landscape in Ireland. The…

I appear before the House today to discuss the motion seeking approval for Ireland to exercise the option, in accordance with Article 29.4.7°.i of Bunreacht na hÉireann, to participate in enhanced co-operation on the establishment of a loan for Ukraine. It is almost four years since Russia's unprovoked, unlawful and unjustifiable attack on Ukraine began and the situation in Ukraine remains grave. Russia's illegal war of aggression has claimed almost 15,000 civilian lives and over 100,000 military casualties. It has…

I thank everybody for their contributions to today's discussion on this motion, which seeks the Seanad's approval for Ireland to exercise the option in accordance with Article 29.4.7 of Bunreacht na hÉireann to participate in enhanced co-operation on the establishment of a loan for Ukraine. I have noted the reactions and comments and hope to respond to some of the key themes raised across the time remaining. I acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion in the House on this proposed loan. The one point I take…

The purpose of the Credit Review Bill is to establish a new statutory body, the credit review service, in place of the existing Credit Review Office. Credit Review is a body under the aegis of the Department of Finance and was established by the Minister for Finance in 2010 under section 210 of the National Asset Management Agency Act 2009 with the objective of facilitating access to bank credit for viable businesses. It provides a valuable service to SMEs and farm businesses that are having difficulty obtaining ba…

I thank Senators for contributing to the debate this evening. I thank Senator Casey for sharing his personal experience in terms of the challenges businesses face, particularly during that difficult economic period for the country. I am delighted to see that his well-established and well-performing hotel in Glendalough, which I have visited many times, continues to thrive.

I did not get it the last time I was there, but he was not a Senator at the time, so he did not require the vote. In all seriousness, this is somebody who is creating jobs in a rural location. That is really what this Bill is about. It is about protecting jobs and businesses. It is not an insignificant amount of money that the office has ensured stayed in the economy. It is €86.35 million that perhaps would not have been in the economy were it not for the establishment of this office. That means keeping businesses …

The recourse is through the office of the financial ombudsman. The office of the financial ombudsman is always there when anybody feels any financial institution or pension institution is not acting in an appropriate manner. In the most recent budget, that office received a substantial increase in funding from the State to ensure it could hire more people so that cases could be dealt with in a much more efficient way. Senator Murphy talked about the number of cases where the Credit Review Office had recommended app…