Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With regard to the health information Bill, the Future Health document stated it would have been published by the end of the second quarter of 2013. The Taoiseach might indicate when we can expect publication of that Bill.

With regard to the universal health insurance legislation and the White Paper that was promised on that, I would point out that, under the Dutch model, to which the Taoiseach was very attached during the general election, there has been an increase of up to 46% to date to the Dutch taxpayer following the introduction of universal health insurance. The Taoiseach might indicate whether the Government still intends to introduce the set of legislative proposals that would underpin the introduction of a universal health insurance system to Ireland, particularly given that our own private health insurance system is now in a very precarious and difficult situation, and some analysts are suggesting it is in a death spiral given the numbers leaving the health insurance sector. When does the Government intend to publish the White Paper on universal health insurance and when can we expect the health information Bill to be published?

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