Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Tonight's developments raise further significant questions about the Government's inept handling of the health care system. Private health insurance in Ireland has been a fiasco from the outset. Sinn Féin will not oppose this legislation because to do so would hurt normal taxpayers, who have to scrimp and save to try to compensate for the failure of successive Governments to put in place a decent public health care system. Approximately 50% of the population have been driven into the clutches of health insurance companies as a result of the Government's failures. I do not want to contribute to any further draining of the resources of people who are suffering because of those failures. Sinn Féin, which believes that health care is fundamentally incompatible with the market, is in favour of free health care at the point of delivery. It should be based on need rather than on ability to pay.

The fiasco involving BUPA Ireland, Quinn Direct and VHI exposes the fundamental contradiction within the two-tier system, which is that many people have to pay twice — they make PRSI contributions and then spend more money to meet expensive private health insurance costs. The Government needs to answer many questions on how it handled the fall-out from the sale of BUPA Ireland. It is obvious that many people have questions about the Government's handling of the MRSA crisis and the ongoing problems with accident and emergency services. There is no area of the health service in which delivery matches the type of service that is required. The Minister, Deputy Harney, needs to answer questions about this proposal, about which Members were informed at a late stage. When did she receive the legal advice on which this Bill is based? If she was given that advice when it was announced that BUPA Ireland had been sold, why did she delay the legislation until now? If this proposal is so important, why have we not been given more time in which to discuss it?

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