Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I know that. I will not repeat the questions that have been asked. In respect of the revised statistics for health status, what specific measures are being taken by the Department and the hospitals to compile the data required for that? What is the timeline for a revision of the legislation? What is the Department's timeline in respect of recommendations to the Minister regarding any changes to lifetime community rating? I echo Deputy Kelleher's comments about non-advanced plans. Dr. Lynch made the point that the idea behind the non-advanced plans was to ensure that there would no cross-subsidisation. When will the legislation be amended to facilitate those 47 plans that the HIA identified as being provided for under the non-advanced plans? There seems to have been a change in the definition of what an advanced plan is from November when the HIA carried out its evaluation to the enactment of the legislation.

Evidence was given earlier that if someone moves mid-year from one policy to another, he or she will have to pay the levy on the double. Is that the case or will he or she have to pay any additional cost by moving mid-year? My next question is for Dr. Lynch. We heard evidence from the VHI earlier today about its 2011 accounts. According to this evidence, the unfunded insurance premium provision in its accounts was €28.2 million. That provision was for 80 staff and, presumably, their spouses. The cost of that per retired staff member is €350,000 or each of those staff members and his or her spouse would have to live for 43 years beyond retirement to meet that liability. Does Dr. Lynch not think these figures are bizarre? What questions have been asked of the VHI in respect of them?

My final question is for the HIA. How much of the levy is a direct result of the numbers of families and young people leaving the system? It makes the point that its evaluation is based on the cost to 75% of the market. With younger people leaving the market, based on its evidence presented to the committee during a previous meeting, policies are becoming more expensive which is feeding into the levy. How much of it is a direct result of the haemorrhage of younger people out of the market?