Frankie Feighan
Sligo-Leitrim · Fine Gael · Ireland
“Among patients reviewed after 12 months of treatment, there was an 88% reduction in episodes of cellulitis, an 80% reduction in hospitalisations associated with cellulitis, significant reductions in GP and public health nurse visits, and reduced demand on both acute and community services.”
“This will deliver an additional 263 positions to the service and will particularly help to support capacity building in our front-line emergency services.”
“I thank the Senator for raising this important matter in the House. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I am aware of the issues raised by the Senator. He will appreciate that neither I nor the HSE can comment on any individual case.”
“I can confirm to the Seanad that we are currently progressing development of a third HEMS to serve the west and north west regions, including the mid-west, and planning for the new HEMS is well advanced.”
“In my opening statement, I focused mainly on aeromedical services in Ireland, particularly the helicopter emergency medical resourcing, HEMS, to provide access to emergency patient care for the people of the mid-west region, including west Clare.”
“On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, I thank Senator Conway for the opportunity to update the House on the delivery of aeromedical services for the people of west Clare and the surrounding area.”
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“As was said, these are significant infrastructure and therefore are, correctly, required to undergo full planning and permitting processes to ensure consideration of a range of factors including location, the visual impact, land zoning plans, and ecology. A key priority is the development of guidelines to support our local authorities. When finalised, these will be made available on the biomethane information hub on gov.ie. Finally, it is my colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage who has responsibility for the overall development of national planning policy and legislation. AD and other integrated assets are required to undergo a full planning process to ensure proper consideration of a range of factors including location, visual impact, land zoning plans and ecology.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising very valid and informed concerns. The Deputy talks about the absence of guidelines. The Government remains committed to the production of up to 5.7 TWh of biomethane, which is a little over 10% of our current natural gas, and the development of Ireland's anaerobic digestion of biomethane on an industrial scale. This will serve to diversify our sources of gas, improve our energy security and deliver the carbonisation options for Ireland to meet its 2030 climate and energy targets. Biomethane production can bring significant benefits to the communities and local environment in which the plants are located, including creating jobs and new revenue streams for farmers and other rural businesses.”
“A biomethane implementation subgroup has recently been established to oversee the preparation of a support document to assist local representatives and planning authorities when assessing planning applications for biomethane plants. It is expected the support document will be finalised early in 2026. This document will be developed by the biomethane implementation group, chaired by the Department and in close collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Teagasc, and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.”
“It is expected that this document will be published shortly on the biomethane policy information page on gov.ie . We need to ensure a clearer understanding of AD technology and consistency of approach by our planning authorities when they are assessing AD projects to improve our planning and permitting processes. AD and other integrated assets are required to undergo a full planning process to ensure proper consideration of a range of factors, including location, visual impact, land zoning plans and ecology. Guidelines and requirements for these are currently set out through several Acts, policy documents, spatial strategies, and development plans. Projects above a certain threshold are also required to complete an environmental impact assessment. Priority deliverables under the strategy include action 5g on guidance.”
“However, there is a robust existing regulatory framework in place to underpin the further development of the AD industry in Ireland and harness the benefits of biomethane. For example, plants involved in anaerobic digestion of animal by-products or derived products must be approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Depending on the plant's activity, various licences are required from the Environmental Protection Agency. On-site health and safety is regulated by the Health and Safety Authority and the plant's connection to the gas network is regulated through the Commission for Regulation of Utilities and Gas Networks Ireland's procedures and standards. The Department is currently developing a licence, permit and regulation requirement document for biomethane plant development.”
“The biomethane implementation group has been established to oversee implementation of the strategy and delivery of the 25 key strategic actions to ensure the necessary infrastructure and supports are in place to support development of an indigenous biomethane industry of scale. While anaerobic digesters, ADs, used to produce biogas and biomethane can bring significant benefits to the communities and local environment in which they are located, they are also significant infrastructure, with impacts on the environment, biospheres, and local communities. Although a very well-established technology in Europe with over 20,000 plants in operation, the AD sector in Ireland has been relatively small to date.”
“I thank Deputy Moynihan. The Government has committed to deliver up to 5.7 TWh of indigenously produced biomethane per annum by 2030. Delivery of this target and the use of biomethane within our energy system will have multiple cross-sectoral benefits for Ireland’s economy, energy security and emissions profile. In response to this ambitious target, the Department, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, published the national biomethane strategy in May 2024. Implementation of the national biomethane strategy is an ongoing process of collaboration across key Departments and agencies.”
“Supplementary capital funding of €210 million, approved by the Government, helped to bring the total capital allocation of the Department in 2025 to €1.6 billion. Government Departments are currently in the process of publishing their sectoral national development implementation plans. The sectoral plan for the education and youth sector will be published next week and the first tranche of projects to progress to construction will be published in January. The NDP implementation plan will optimise input from the NDP allocations with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is sufficient and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money and meets functional needs. I thank the Deputy again for raising this important issue.”
“I will bring the Deputy's concerns back to the Minister and ask her, if she is in Donegal, to put in a tour of St. Eunan's College. Since 2020, the Department has invested over €6 billion in schools throughout the country under the national development plan, involving the completion of 1,300 school building projects. In addition, repurposing and optimising existing accommodation capacity across the school estate has been a key enabler of timely local provision of special class capacity in a way that supports best practice in inclusion and integration. Some 80% of new special classes in 2025 and 2026 are being facilitated by repurposed classroom accommodation. The Government's support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities.”
“In July, the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the 2026-2030 period under the national development plan. As part of this NDP allocation, the Department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. With regard to the project roll-out for large-scale projects and additional school accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project roll-out over the course of the 2026-2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs.”
“Thereafter, a complete stage 2 report was received by the Department in October 2024 for review. Stage 2B involves detailed design, securing all statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documentation. In February 2024, the Department secured decant accommodation in the vacant boys’ national school, which is adjacent to the school site. This will facilitate the decant of the school to allow completion of the major project. However, these premises will be subject to enabling works in anticipation of the major project progressing to construction. The next stage in the process will be stage 3, tender action and award. The Department is in continuous contact with the design team and the school regarding further progression of the project.”
“The stage 1 submission of this major project was initially received in May 2020 and, following the submission of an addendum report, it was approved to the next stage in September 2020. Following this, stage 2A of the project was approved in April 2021. An emergency works application for the installation of fire alarms and related works was completed in April 2022. Following a review of the schedule of accommodation, the design team was requested to submit design options to include an increase of two classrooms for children with special educational needs. The design team submitted its amended design options to include the increased accommodation to the Department for review, which was approved in July 2024. Planning permission was secured in March 2022.”
“I thank Deputy Mac Lochlainn for raising this matter. It gives me an opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, to outline to the Dáil the current position in relation to the school project for St. Eunan’s College in Letterkenny. This project is included in the Department of Education and Youth’s construction programme, which will be delivered under the national development plan as part of the Project Ireland 2040 framework. St. Eunan’s College is a single-sex, Catholic secondary school for boys under the patronage of the Bishop of Raphoe. This school building project will deliver a new extension and refurbishment of some existing accommodation to provide accommodation for 1,000 pupils and additional classrooms for children with special educational needs.”
“The limitation of public funding schemes to Tusla-registered childcare providers helps to ensure that public funding is provided where there is assurance of the quality of provision. The Government is fully committed to the regulation of childminding, which is critical to the safeguarding of children. The regulations are proportionate and appropriate and need to reflect the home and family settings in which the childminders work. If everyone complies and fills in the forms, there is funding there for everybody that could help.”
“I thank the Senator for raising this very important issue. It is a priority for the Minister and the rest of the Government. The programme for Government firmly commits to retaining childminding as a valued and important part of the provision of both early learning and care and school-aged childcare. It states, "Childminding plays a significant role in the provision of early years and school aged care and should remain a viable choice for parents." The continued implementation of the national action plan for childminding is essential to the successful achievement of these commitments. As the Senator knows, the key objective of the national action plan for childminding is to enable parents who use childminders to benefit from State subsidies through the national childcare scheme.”
“More needs to be done and there might be a need for mentors or something that can bring them through that process. I always feel that when they fill out the forms, it is probably more beneficial for themselves, the children and all concerned. A bit more needs to be done and I will bring the Senator's concerns back to the Minister.”
“We are now in the three-year transition period, as the Senator said, until September 2027, during which childminders are encouraged and supported to register, but registration is not yet mandatory. The phased approach aims to facilitate the largest possible number of childminders to enter the regulated sector, the sphere of quality assurance and access to Government subsidies while recognising the time and supports required for childminders to learn about and prepare for registration. The Senator mentioned a lot of childminders were confused about the steps. I can totally understand that. These are people who will give all the time in the day like everybody in a lot of industries but when it comes to sit down to do the paperwork and so on, it can be tough and that is a normal thing.”
“In finalising the new regulations, substantive changes were made in response to feedback received as part of the consultation process. In addition, an independent external review of the draft regulations was carried out by Dr. Bill Maxwell, former CEO of Education Scotland, former chief inspector in both Scotland and Wales and OECD consultant, which confirmed the approach was proportionate for childminding in Ireland. I am heartened to hear that, in the recent survey carried out by Childminding Ireland, those childminders who have already been through the registration process and are working under new regulations report their experience as positive, with very few giving negative reports.”
“The limitation of public funding schemes for Tusla-registered childcare providers helps to ensure that public funding is provided where there is assurance of the quality of provision. The childminding service regulations, which are specific to childminders, also came in on 30 September 2024. The childminding-specific regulations are designed to be proportionate and appropriate to the home and family settings in which childminders work. The regulations differ substantially from regulations on centre-based childcare. Childminders were consulted on this and involved in all aspects of the development of the regulations. Both the steering group for the national action plan for childminding and the advisory group on regulations and inspection of childminding included childminders as well as representatives of childminding organisations.”
“The national action plan for childminding 2021 to 2028 sets out a pathway for the extension of regulation to childminders and provides for a phased approach to regulation, with a preparatory phase followed by an extended transition period to allow childminders lead-in time for any requirements. The regulation of childminding services is critical to the safeguarding of children. In addition, a key objective of the national action plan for childminding is to enable parents who use childminders to benefit from State subsidies through the national childcare scheme. The Childcare Support Act 2018, which provides a statutory basis for the national childcare scheme, specifies that only Tusla-registered providers are eligible to participate in the scheme.”
“I hope the Senator is settling in well in the Seanad. A Commencement matter is a great way to raise issues of local and national importance. The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality would like to thank the Senator for raising this important issue and for offering her the opportunity to respond. Childminding and childminders constitute a hugely important part of early learning and care and school-age childcare provision and continue to be the option of choice for many families. Ireland is one of the few countries in Europe where childminders are not required to register with the State.”
“I thank the Senator for raising this very important issue. There is more traffic on the roads. They are a lot safer than they were but we need to do more.”
“Our vast and interconnected road network is essential to connecting people, businesses and communities, so we must continue to protect it. We have come a long way. When I was elected in 1999, the road network was particularly bad. I remember travelling on one national road and changing my tires every three months. We are in a much better place but the Senator is right that more needs to be done. She raised the increase in the price of bitumen, which went up by 62%. This has to be factored in. That is what this is about. That is what local authorities are about. They feed into the Department and the Department feeds into the Exchequer. When the economy is robust, there is money to spend. I believe that more funding should be allocated for local and regional roads. It is something I will be fighting for as well.”
“As the statutory road authorities for their areas, it is open to local authorities to prioritise investment towards regional and local roads. I hear what the Senator is saying and I will certainly bring her very important views back to the Minister.”
“In this context, the Department has supported the development of a road asset management system for regional and local roads - MapRoad - to provide the data needed for each local authority to manage its network as effectively as possible, including the prioritisation of works for inclusion in its maintenance and renewal works programme. The road pavement condition information generated by the MapRoad system forms the basis for the National Oversight and Audit Commission, NOAC, performance reports each year. In 2024, the Department provided funding for 3,038 km of pavement sealing on the regional and local road network and 2,256 km of road strengthening works. It should be noted that Exchequer funding for regional and local roads is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources.”
“Funding for these grant types is allocated based on the length of the road network within a local authority's area of responsibility with some account taken of traffic. It is envisaged that grants will continue to be made available on this basis as it is the most equitable approach. The Department appreciates that within the overall parameters set for the regional and local road grant programme, local authorities might need to target funding at particular problem areas. There is sufficient flexibility in the structure of the grant programme to allow for this. It is also open to each local authority to allocate its own resources to priority areas.”
“There has been a significant increase in Exchequer funding in recent years, with an Exchequer investment of €713 million in our regional and local roads this year. This represents an increase of 25% in funding when compared to 2021. The cost of doing the roads has gone up since 2021. There is a case to be made in that regard, and it is one I make myself representing Sligo-Leitrim and south Donegal. I come from Roscommon and we represent a bit of Cavan as well so I understand the issues. Because of the pressures on the regional and local road network, the primary focus of investment is on the protection and renewal of that road network, which plays a critical role in supporting economic and community links throughout the country. The Senator mentioned postmen and buses. That is an issue we must be aware of.”
“I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic with Members of the House on behalf of the Minister for Transport. The Senator’s question relates to the number of kilometres of regional rural roads being maintained each year. As the Senator is aware, and as outlined in the 2025 regional and local roads programme, the Government is strongly committed to protecting the existing road network. It is important to highlight that the improvement and maintenance of the regional and local road network is the statutory responsibility of each local authority. Works on these roads are funded from the councils' own resources and are supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the local authority.”
“I thank Senator Reilly for raising this issue. I hope she is enjoying her stay in the Seanad. It is great to see people who have been on local authorities coming into the Seanad. I know that Members come from diverse backgrounds, but people like her bring that experience and knowledge in here. I can see that she is familiar with what is happening in her county and constituency. It is great that she can bring that knowledge here to the floor of the Seanad. I was a member of my local authority when I got elected to the Seanad. The abolition of the dual mandate then came in. While I believe the abolition of the dual mandate was correct, it sometimes takes Members away from their local authorities. It is great to see the Senator here.”
“The Irish road network consists of over 100,000 km of road. While the national road network carries about 45% of total traffic, there is a very extensive network of regional and local roads. Regional roads comprise approximately 13% of all roads and local roads about 82% of all roads. This year, regional and local road grants were notified to local authorities on 14 February. Cavan County Council has been allocated €19.2 million, which is an increase of €1.7 million on its 2024 allocation. The Senator made a very valid argument, though. As a Member in a rural constituency, the same as the Senator, championing and fighting for more funding for local and regional roads is one thing we are always doing.”
“It is also open to each local authority to allocate its own resources to priority areas. It should be noted that Exchequer funding for regional and local roads is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources. As the statutory road authorities for their areas, it is open to local authorities to prioritise investment towards regional and local roads. I am very familiar with Cavan. It is a rural county and we need to do everything possible and use whatever flexible ways we can to incentivise road repairs. I remember there were pothole candidates in Cavan when I first got involved in politics over 25 years ago. The road network has improved, but the cost of repairing roads has gone up. The Senator made a very valid argument that maybe we needed to increase the funding as well.”
“Basing allocations on road condition could therefore disincentivise local authorities from allocating their own resources to funding roads maintenance. The Department operates the community involvement scheme, CIS, to facilitate local community participation on a voluntary basis in the repair of local roads. The focus of the programme is on the repair of more lightly trafficked public roads that might not be high on the list of a local authority's annual roadwork programme. The Department appreciates that, within the overall parameters set for the regional and local road grant programmes, local authorities might need to target funding at particular problem areas and there is sufficient flexibility in the structure of the grant programme to allow for this.”
“These three grant programmes account for most of the grant funding and are allocated based primarily on the length of the road network in a particular local authority area. Apart from a requirement that 15% of the road strengthening grant is spent on regional roads, the allocation of funding to different categories of road is entirely a matter for decision by each local authority. In addition, basing regional and local roads grant allocations on road conditions could result in an uneven distribution of Exchequer funding. For example, local authorities that allocate higher levels of own resources funding to regional and local roads will have a larger proportion of roads with a higher condition rating than those with lower levels of own resources funding.”
“The allocation of funding across specific roads or across categories of road is a matter for each local authority, having regard to the funding available to it from local and central sources as well as its particular priorities. The main regional and local road grant programmes are targeted at specific policy objectives, such as restoration maintenance grants for pavement sealing to protect the road surface from water damage, restoration improvement grants for road strengthening based on pavement condition rating to lengthen the life of road pavements, and discretionary grants which allow for a range of activities, including pothole repairs, edge strengthening, renewal of signs and lines and winter maintenance.”
“It is important to highlight that the improvement and maintenance of the regional road network is the statutory responsibility of each local authority in accordance with the Roads Act 1993. Works on these roads are funded from the council's own resources and are supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works is a matter for the local authority. There has been a significant increase in Exchequer funding in recent years, with an Exchequer investment of €713 million in our regional and local roads this year. This represents an increase of 25% in funding when compared with 2021. As regards the basis for allocating grants within the budget available to the Department, grant funding is allocated on the basis of grant programmes and not on the basis of the category of road.”
“I thank Senator Tully for her question. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic with Members of the House today on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I understand Senator Tully’s question is on the funding provided to local authorities for the maintenance of local roads, with a particular emphasis on the Cavan region. It is a region I am very familiar with as I represent Sligo, Leitrim and south Donegal and, at one stage, I represented west Cavan. They are the same type of area and they have all had issues with local roads. It might not pertain in other areas but it is very important in Senator Tully's area. As Senator Tully is aware and as outlined in the 2025 regional and local roads programme, the Government is strongly committed to protecting the existing road network.”
“I thank Senator Lynch for raising this very important issue and for her remarks. I agree it is important that we enhance the opportunities for disabled people who can earn a living to do so. It is important that we lead by example and maximise opportunities and access for disabled people to get meaningful work in the Civil Service and the public sector. The recently published national human rights strategy for disabled people from 2025 to 2030 recognises this and includes compliance with the 6% minimum statutory employment target for disabled people as a priority action. Senator Lynch has raised some interesting and informative views and I will bring them back to the Minister.”
“I am not an expert on this but I would have thought that 18 months was quite a long time. I would not blame Senator Lynch for sharing these reservations. Chief executives are responsible for all staffing matters in local authorities.”
“The local government sector partners with AHEAD on the Willing Able Mentoring, WAM, programme, to offer paid and mentored work placements for graduates with disabilities. The local government sector was recognised at the WAM leaders awards in 2023 and 2024 for participation and support for the WAM programme, which aims to promote access to the labour market for graduates with disabilities. As Senator Lynch said, initiatives such as the WAM programme can help foster improved participation by persons with disabilities in the workplace and it is important that public sector employers lead by example in this way. Senator Lynch stated her constituent has waited 18 months on the list for a placement and that she, the Senator, would like more clarity and oversight.”
“The collection of this data is an important indicator of how local authorities are fulfilling their obligations to ensure people with disabilities can participate in the workforce. In 2023, the most recent year for which data has been published by the NDA, all of the 31 local authorities met the 3% target that applied in 2003. Also on a positive note, in 2023, eight local authorities met the 6% target that applies for 2025. While there is a very high level of compliance by local authorities, I believe there is scope for more to be done by all public bodies. More work is required across the board on recruitment and retention policies and particularly on supporting employees to share their disability status. The National Disability Authority plays a very important role in providing support and guidance to public bodies in this regard.”
“Policy for the Disability Act rests with the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality and the National Disability Authority, NDA, falls under the remit of that Department. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is responsible under Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 for the collection of data annually on compliance by local authorities with their obligation to meet the statutory targets set for the employment of people with disabilities. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage submits this data annually to the National Disability Authority and it is included in the NDA's annual report on compliance with Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005.”
“I thank Senator Lynch for raising this important matter before the House, which I am taking on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I hope the Senator is settling in well here in the Seanad. It is a wonderful forum. I was here twice - from 2002 to 2007 and from 2016 to 2020. It is a great forum to raise issues of national importance and local importance such as this. It is important to note that, under section 159, of the Local Government Act 2001, the chief executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements that are necessary to carry out the functions of the local authority. Each local authority is an independent legal entity and an individual employer.”
“The Minister of State has said he will also be meeting the CEOs of the major insurance companies later this month to communicate the expectation that the code be widely adopted and consistently applied. In addition, he will also press upon them the need to play their part by ensuring the benefits of reform are felt directly by consumers through lower premiums and greater confidence in the market. The Senator said she wants to find out what the primary objective of the code is. I will pass that on to the Minister of State. By working together and raising this matter in the Seanad we can achieve a competitive and sustainable insurance market in Ireland that supports the transparency the Senator is calling for, fairness and affordability for all consumers.”
“I hear the Senator's disappointment and will bring that back to the Minister of State. I thank her for raising this important issue and for her contribution today. The Government is keenly aware of the cost of insurance for consumers. Indeed, we as politicians, across all parties, are keenly aware of it because we pay insurance ourselves and our constituents have to pay it. We have to be clear with the insurance industry that we fully expect cost savings achieved through the reform agenda to be passed on to consumers in the form of reduced premiums. A transparency code is an important additional reform to enhance trust and improve consumers' decision-making.”
“Amending the Judicial Council Act 2019 to make reviews of the personal injuries guidelines more comprehensive and transparent and strengthening the role of the Injuries Resolution Board are key actions in the new plan. Resolving cases outside of court reduces claim costs and settlement times, which should reduce premiums, benefiting all parties.”
“It is my expectation that the code will be finalised by the end of the year. The Senator outlined as well she felt there should be public representatives on that forum and I think that is quite true. Sometimes we set up these groups and they do not take into consideration all of the stakeholders and all of their views, so I will certainly bring that back to the Minister of State. Another key area is legal reform and addressing the cost of litigated claims. Data from the NCID has shown that the Injuries Resolution Board is the fastest and most cost-effective method of resolving personal injury claims, delivering similar awards for claimants in less than half the time of litigation, with significantly less legal cost.”
“Of the ten priority actions, one has been completed - that of a benchmarking report on personal injuries awards - and the remaining nine actions are progressing well and are currently on track to be delivered within their respective timeframes. One of the key areas we need to make an impact is transparency. Work has commenced on a transparency code for the insurance industry. The code, when developed, will require insurers to provide simple, understandable explanations of how premiums are formed and what broader factors influence pricing, and ensure customers can receive additional individual information upon request. A working group comprised of industry representatives, the Department of Finance and the Central Bank has been formed to progress this important initiative, and it has met on numerous occasions to work on a draft code.”
“Despite progress on insurance costs in recent years, an inflationary global climate has led to certain costs creeping up again. Greater transparency, affordability and availability of insurance is fundamental to restoring trust and fairness in the insurance market. The action plan for insurance reform, published in July 2025, will guide the direction of insurance reform for the coming years, building on progress to date but also addressing the ongoing frustrations that consumers and businesses still experience. The Senator herself said that, after all, motorists' costs are still rising and that is quite frustrating. The action plan has 26 actions being led across a number of Departments, ten of which are priority actions.”
“Both the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, and this Government regard insurance reform as a key priority and are determined to take the necessary steps to reduce the cost burden on households, motorists, businesses, and community organisations across the country. Through previous reforms, Government has implemented fundamental changes, including: the rebalancing of the duty of care, which adjusted liability expectations and reduced excessive claims; the reform of the Injuries Resolution Board, giving it a stronger mandate as an alternative to costly litigation; the introduction of the personal injuries guidelines, creating greater consistency and predictability in awards; and enhancements to the national claims information database, transforming the availability of data about costs, premiums, and settlements.”
“I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. I am pleased to address it on behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Finance with special responsibility for financial services, credit unions and insurance, Deputy Troy, and to give an update on the progress being made under the new action plan for insurance reform. I am sure Senator Nelson Murray will be very aware already of the update I am giving her because she has been a passionate advocate for insurance reform since long before she came into this august Parliament. Also, there is the fact she has raised the issue in every forum possible. I thank her for highlighting this very important issue.”