I want to raise again the issue of insurance. This week, I have had contact from businesses in my constituency, as I am sure every Deputy has had, about the escalating cost of insurance. Last week, Deputy Pearse Doherty raised this issue with the Tánaiste, who promised he would speak to the Minister for Finance to convene an emergency meeting. It is an emergency situation. What we have here is, in effect, a market failure where the cost of insurance is putting people out of business. It needs to be dealt with as an emergency. I want to find out if the Tánaiste has spoken to the Minister for Finance. Is that meeting happening and is it happening as an emergency?

On the same issue, the Tánaiste was asked last week if he would convene a meeting with the Minister for Finance. He will be aware of this issue, as we are all aware, given we are lobbied by business groups all of the time, in particular by small SMEs that cannot get insurance in various sectors of the economy. Businesses are closing and we need urgent action. We want to know whether the Tánaiste spoke to the Minister for Finance last week, as he said he would.

I did speak briefly to the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, in regard to this issue after Question Time last week. A lot is happening in this area and there is legislation before the Seanad as we speak. We know there is a significant disparity between the award levels, in particular for soft tissue injuries, in Ireland versus the UK. That is something that has been the focus of media this morning, understandably so. As a Government, we want to try to correct this but we have to do it within the confines of the Constitution.