Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank both Ministers of State for coming today. I recognise that the Minister of State, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is very busy, and there is a lot of work. The insurance market as a whole is extremely difficult and competitive. The Minister of State mentioned that the premiums for public liability, etc., are decreasing. The people with thatched cottages are caught between a rock and a hard place. I acknowledge what the Minister of State said, namely, that there has to be a realistic and common-sense approach given that there is obviously a greater fire risk.

The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, spoke about a pilot project. I am always sceptical about pilot project because 99% of the time these projects work but they do not continue. I welcome the common-sense approach. We do not have a magic wand; I am a realist in that way. The floods in my town were mentioned. People will be reactive but we do not have a magic wand to fix everything. However, at least working in tandem to prevent such issues is a step forward. The pilot programme makes common sense. By making it more attractive to insurance companies and having a lower chance of having a fire in that property, at least we are going in the right way.

A thatched house that is a home is one thing. However, if it is a thatched building that a business cannot get insurance for, it is a livelihood that is going as well. When this matter first came to the committee's attention, I thought it was a bit strange. However, when we delve into it and see what the Ministers of State are doing in the background, working with the insurance companies and other stakeholders, the only question is what we say to people outside. Where can they go now? Will it need to be a waiting game trying to get more insurance companies in?

The Government will work with people to make their thatched properties more compliant with fire safety and so forth. That should bring down premiums. We need to be realistic in saying that it will take time and there is no magic wand. The Ministers of State seem to be saying there is no magic fix at the moment. Their two Departments will work in a collaborative way with the insurance companies and the people who own these properties to move in the right direction but it will take time. Is that it? Is that the answer for the people at the moment?