James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

is concerned that:

— a national emergency has again emerged in Ireland's hospitals with an unprecedented 569 patients on trolleys in January 2011;

— the Government will not publish legislation to introduce risk equalisation until 2013, despite having promised to do so within three years when it was struck out by the Supreme Court in 2008;

— the public hospital system is under increased strain due to rising unemployment at 444,000, businesses unable to access finance and many people in negative equity; and

— the VHI's 1.35 million customers cannot afford increases of up to 45% in their private health insurance premiums because of the failure of the Minister for Health and Children to introduce risk equalisation; and

calls on the Government to:

— instruct the VHI to postpone premium increases until the Milliman Report is published and debated; and

— expedite the introduction of risk equalisation.

I wish to share time with Deputies Catherine Byrne, Denis Naughten, Dan Neville, John O'Mahony, Deirdre Clune and James Bannon.

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