James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

As I am sure he is aware, the question is rhetorical.

We are engaged with Europe in respect of matters relating to the VHI, the need for its position to be put in order by the Central Bank of Ireland and the exigencies and strictures that obtain. We will not allow a scenario to evolve whereby the urgent will continually displace the important. We have a short-term strategy to allow us to deal with the immediate situations we face. Hence, the establishment of the SDU, the development of the clinical programmes and our discussions at Cabinet on the current position of the VHI and in respect of the market, which must be regulated and regularised. One thing that will prevent other insurers entering that market is uncertainty. That is why it is awaiting the publication of the risk equalisation scheme, on which the Cabinet has signed off and which will emerge shortly. That scheme will increase competition and will lead to prices being driven down.

We also have medium and long-term strategies. Our long-term strategy is to introduce universal health insurance as quickly as possible. Our plan for the medium term is to do what we always said we would, namely, make the best use of what is available to us. That is what we are doing. We are obtaining efficiencies through the clinical programmes. We are also bringing in the money-follows-the-patient model so that there will be transparency and that it will no longer be the case that hundreds of millions of euro will be dispersed into different parts of the system without our knowing about it. We will introduce universal health insurance so that every man, woman and child, regardless of income, will be treated on the basis of need and as equals.

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