However, I also refer to a letter from a senior Commission official to the Irish permanent representative on 20 July 1999 stating that the Commission's views on risk equalisation at that stage were based only on oral explanations offered and pending a detailed scrutiny of the proposals. That differs substantially from the Minister's statement that the Commission did not have particular state aid concerns in relation to risk equalisation. The Commission official went on to stress the need for continued vigilance to ensure that any future reforms of Irish private health insurance continued to take account of considerations stemming from EU law.