Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To take Deputy Calleary's point, it is not that Ireland is taking a uniquely perverse view in deciding Ministers representing the public interest should discuss and consult with professional bodies but it is the Minister who should set fees. This is not Ireland taking an unusual view, it is European law. The approach being adopted and which I seek to uphold is what is provided in every country in the European Union. It is done to protect the public interest and users of public services, such as public patients, from collusion or price fixing on the part of bodies dealing with the State. This is a sensible position to adopt. The State is not an authoritarian monopolist that does what it likes. It is accountable to the House. It consults, discusses, examines options, assesses pressures on groups such as doctors, considers the costs of delivering a service and considers what is a reasonable approach to take, but at the end of the day it is the Minister who sets the price. It is not a question that a group of professionals or others collude to set a price and if they do not get a price, they withdraw their services. This is not the approach the law supports. It supports a process of consultation, but ultimately the Minister sets the price. This is correct and particularly so for Ireland. For many years the reports of the National Competitiveness Council have shown the costs of professions in Ireland soar above the averages.

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