I have been directly involved in encouraging the insurance industry to provide cover to certain sectors. The equine industry had a problem last year but we got that sorted out last spring. I was told last Christmas that there was no insurance available for ice rinks but two rinks succeeded in getting insurance. The situation with regard to play and activity groups is that a new American company has set up in Ireland in recent weeks and is moving into that market. The company has already met the national body for th…

I welcome the opportunity to address the Seanad on the Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022, which was published on 1 April and which passed all Stages in the Dáil on 1 June. There were no amendments to the legislation as it passed through the Dáil. People were generally happy with it. I want to put that on record at this point. As Senators will be keenly aware, the availability of affordable insurance is vital to underpin a healthy and vibrant economy. This is why the Government has continued to prioriti…

I thank Senators Casey, Maria Byrne, Sherlock, Warfield and Kyne for their contributions. They are all very helpful and positive and accept the logic of the legislation. A big element of this issue relates to the recovery of deducted State supports. It has been rightly pointed out that in the Department of Social Protection, there is a scheme called the recovery of benefits and assistance scheme. It simply means that someone who is involved in an accident and gets disability payments for a period is not paid twice …

The Bill is the result of a detailed policy review within the Department of Finance, which included a public consultation in 2019. The report Moneylending: Policy Proposals was published by the Minister for Finance last July along with the heads of this Bill. The main proposal is the introduction of an interest rate cap on moneylending loans. The feedback from the public consultation on the issue was that the introduction of a cap would protect low-income households that avail of moneylender loans, reduce the cost …

I thank all the Senators who spoke on the Bill. Generally, I think everybody is supportive of the legislation, despite some issues of concern. The first question asked was how this will all work because we have given just an outline of the Bill. One of the key differences is that, until now, a prospective moneylender had to go to each court to get a licence. That now will be done by the Central Bank. The same conditions will apply nationwide. As this will be a regulated market from now on, which it is not as we spe…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 6, line 31, to delete “or in relation to”. It might help if I give an explanation. It is a simple amendment. I will only take a few moments and then give Members of the Opposition an opportunity to speak. It is a very simple four-word amendment. On Committee Stage I indicated that the Department was considering a technical drafting amendment to the new section 16A, which is being inserted into the Consumer Insurance Contracts Act 2019 by section 8 of this Bill, and that I might retur…

I am grateful for the contribution of Deputy Doherty, in particular, and other members of the Opposition to the entire insurance debate, as exemplified during the course of the passage of this legislation.

I thank the Deputies for putting forward this motion. I understand their motivation in doing so and welcome the opportunity for discussion on the issue of rising food prices. We are concerned with protecting our people from the severe financial and economic consequences of the recent worldwide spike in inflationary pressure. We are all aware that people are finding it harder to make ends meet. All of us in this House, regardless of party affiliation, want to respond as comprehensively as we can. The Government will…

I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to this discussion on Oxfam's recent global report on inequality levels. The report draws attention to important issues around wealth and income inequality, cost-of-living pressures and how policy in advanced economies can respond to these global challenges. In particular, the report highlights the negative effect the Covid-19 pandemic has had on equality across the world. However, the range of supports the Government put in place in Ireland was extremely effective…

I will highlight the fact that this is an international report in respect of Ireland's contribution to overseas development aid. To this end, we have increased the cash allocation of overseas development aid for the last eight consecutive years, with the contribution reaching over €1 billion for the first time ever this year. With regard to the global issues, we are making a contribution appropriate or relative to our size in the world economy. There is a research paper available on the ESRI website which shows tha…

I thank Deputy Doherty for his proposed amendment, which we discussed on Committee Stage. Deputy Doherty and I agree on many elements of this Bill, including the need for a statutory interest rate cap. We are at odds here on the precise rate of that cap. Deputy Doherty's amendment would reduce the caps in the Bill and cut the caps in three years' time to rates that would compare with mainstream lending rates. Lower interest rates are better for consumers; I am aware of that. The purpose of this legislation is to re…

I thank Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan for raising this issue. I am representing the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue. He has asked me to respond on his behalf. I will speak directly with the Minister during the course of the day to reinforce the points the Deputy makes. Responsibility for the development and maintenance of local authority-owned piers, harbours and slipways rests with each local authority in the first instance. Keelbeg Harbour is owned by Cork County Council. I am al…

I thank the Deputy for that further information. I hope Cork County Council will take the opportunity to engage with local stakeholders in an appropriate way regarding proposed works or changes to the use of marine public infrastructure. Returning to the scheme, I spoke about the seafood sector task force. This is a special once-off emergency instrument under the Brexit adjustment scheme. The purpose of the scheme is to provide support to counter the adverse economic, social, territorial and, where appropriate, env…

I thank Deputy Cairns for the opportunity to address this matter in the House. I am speaking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, who is also in the Department of Transport. It is important to note the Government is funding active travel at an unprecedented scale. It has allocated €460 million per annum to support infrastructure that makes walking and cycling safer and more attractive for journeys to work and school and for all types of journeys all…

I thank the Deputy for her contribution to this discussion. Safety is at the heart of what we seek to achieve with our investment in transport. It behoves all road users to concentrate, consider all other road users, slow down and be observant. In the wider context of road safety, this is set out in the Government’s fifth road safety strategy, the implementation of which the Road Safety Authority has overall responsibility. On 15 December 2021, the Government and the Road Safety Authority launched Ireland’s road sa…

I thank Deputy Griffin for raising the matter. The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, has asked me to respond on her behalf. The local improvement scheme is a programme for improvement works on small private or non-public roads in rural areas that are not under the normal maintenance of the local authorities. The scheme is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and is administered through the local authorities. I acknowledge the major step-up in funding when Deputy …

I concur with the point made by the Deputy. As he said, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, has been in direct contact with her ministerial colleague, Deputy Ryan, about the Department of Transport coming on board with this scheme. The Deputy specifically mentioned the Gaeltacht scheme and I know his views will be taken into account fully by the Minister. It does not affect me in County Laois and I am not personally familiar with the scheme. I presume it works along similar lines in the Gaeltacht areas. As we have said…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 15, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 46 of Value-Added Tax Consolidation Act 2010 7. Section 46 of the Value-Added Tax Consolidation Act 2010 is amended, in subsection (1) by— (a) the substitution in paragraph (a) of “at any of the rates specified in paragraphs (b), (c), (ca), (caa), (cb) and (d)” for “at any of the rates specified in paragraphs (b), (c), (ca) and (d)”, (b) the substitution in paragraph (c) of “subject to paragraphs (ca), (caa) …

I acknowledge the amendment put forward by the Deputy. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic the Government introduced a range of supports for businesses including the TWSS and the EWSS. The wage subsidy schemes were emergency support measures introduced and developed in extraordinary times. Both the TWSS and the EWSS are statutory schemes underpinned by legislative provisions in the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020, as enacted by the Oireachtas. The wage subsidy schemes have been at the…

I reiterate the legislation provided that an assessment shall be carried out every two months. While the legislation did not stipulate that a report be prepared, the Department prepares bimonthly EWSS utilisation papers which capture all the information the Deputy is seeking. The Minister has reviewed all of these and they are on the Department's website. All the information that was originally suggested as part of the original legislation by way of a report is out there on the Department's website and that is help…