Now that peace has broken out, with the agreement of the House we will add five minutes to the debate as a compromise, which means a total of eight minutes. I have a list of Deputies wishing to contribute but I will have to cut it off because the Aircraft Noise (Dublin Airport) Regulation Bill 2018 and postponed divisions are to follow.

We are approaching the third anniversary of the formation of the current Dáil. Under the programme for Government, with the aim of minimising the cost of insurance there have been insurance reports and the insurance working group. Is the Tánaiste aware of a cartel-style operation that is currently operating among insurance companies, whereby insurance companies and brokers refuse to give a direct quote to persons seeking to shop around for insurance once that quote has been given to one broker? Further, the treatment of notification of accidents, regardless of whether a claim is imminent, is experiencing a 50% premium addition for a two-year period regardless of whether the claim is made after an accident is reported.

I call on the Tánaiste and the Minister with responsibility to insist, particularly in the latter case, that any premium top-up is refunded once no claim is made on an accident.

The cost of insurance, in particular that of public liability, is crippling business the length and breadth of the country. One of the key recommendations of Mr. Justice Kearns' report requires the passage of the Judicial Council Bill 2017 but it has yet to be brought into the Seanad. The reason it has not been brought to the Seanad is due to the time that has been spent on the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017. Will the Government prioritise the former Bill to help long-suffering businesses, as opposed to helping the long-suffering Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, who has a personal crusade in respect of the latter Bill?

The Government is committed to the Judicial Council Bill 2017. We have made a number of changes to the law, most notably last year through the passage of the national claims database. To respond to Deputy Breathnach, there should be no co-ordination in how insurance companies deal with claims. As the Deputy will be aware, last year there was a raid to gather evidence of any collusion or anti-competitive behaviour.

What about the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017?

The Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017 is important legislation that is consistent with the programme for Government. It is effectively being filibustered in the Seanad which, unfortunately, is delaying other legislation. There are consequences to filibustering and people should know what they are.