Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

I doubt if that would happen. I, too, welcome this short Bill. I do not intend to go through it as other speakers have made relevant points but will refer to a few areas. The Health Insurance Authority has a five member board. When I looked up the membership this morning, I was impressed by the way the board is financially weighted and by the actuarial and pension information available. I immediately thought this would be a terrible Bill to read through. When I got around to doing so, however, I found it was not that difficult. This is a short Bill which contains some important amending provisions.

There are two main players in this sector – the VHI and BUPA. As other speakers have said, it is touching that we are having this debate on the day of the burial of Tom O'Higgins, the Minister's predecessor. The late Mr. O'Higgins and the Department showed great foresight in establishing the VHI. Perhaps I am being kind to them, but the young Fine Gael Senators present may not remember BUPA coming on the market.