Brendan Ryan (Labour)

Yes. For what it is worth, I support the Bill. No sensible person could object to it.

The idea that competition is the best route to providing efficient health insurance is wide open to debate. EU competition policy, which is ideal for so many areas, should not stretch into an area where people are not able to make free choice and where risk equalisation and community rating comes in the equation. We are moving so far from a competitive market that we must ask if we are going through a charade of a competitive market to meet a charade of a competition policy. In the end nothing better will be available than was previously the case.