Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yes, this is the exact point. It was the Minister for Finance. He has driven a coach and four through the Minister’s policy on universal health insurance. In every stated policy that the Minister for Health has advocated from time to time, he has said that we would have a vibrant private health insurance market, that there would be competition and a flow of insurers into this State to provide health insurance and there would be a move to universal health insurance. The problem is, not only are the Minister’s policies driving people out of the health insurance market but the Minister for Finance has capped tax relief on so-called gold-plated private health insurance premia. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was not just the gold-plated ones. The Minister for Health knows that as well as I do. I know that he was very disappointed by this particular announcement from the Minister for Health. He can dress it up any way he likes but he was not a happy camper on that particular day.

See this speech in context