The Medical Defence Union and the Medical Protection Society are not insurance companies and are, therefore, not subject to regulation under insurance legislation in either the United Kingdom or Ireland. Since April last year the Medical Defence Union has effectively become an insurance intermediary and offers its members in Ireland an insurance policy underwritten by the Zurich Insurance Company, trading here as Eagle Star. However, this policy does not cover obstetric risks. The bulk of the cost of the subscriptions paid by consultants employed in the public health service is reimbursed to them by their employers and borne, ultimately, by the Exchequer.