Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

In Brussels on 14 July — in little over a fortnight's time — the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers will have its first discussion on the proposals concerning the sugar beet industry. I support colleagues who call for a debate with the Minister for Agriculture and Food on the matter. It is important that the Minister goes to Brussels with the full support of all Members and parties in the House and the Oireachtas. She will be defending an integral part of Irish agriculture and the tillage industry. It is important she gets a result and that she has the full support of all Members in that regard. The House should be in a position to offer the Minister its full support. She might be able to remain for an extra half an hour or an hour on Friday to discuss the sugar industry.

As a customer of the VHI, I am concerned about the future of health insurance in this country. However, as one who advocates competition, I am aware that the whole concept of risk equalisation poses many serious questions. I am on record in the House as expressing scepticism about the concept of risk equalisation. While my colleagues are concerned that the Minister did not make a decision yesterday, the Tánaiste is apparently awaiting a decision on the future of the VHI. I hope that in the coming weeks and months we will have a mature debate on risk equalisation, which I do not believe to be all it is made out to be. There are hundreds of thousands of Irish BUPA customers and we should be aware of their interests.

On an international issue, the House has discussed the issues of Iraq, the Middle East and Sudan in recent months, and rightly so. However, in the past month, a shocking episode has been ongoing in Zimbabwe——