Brendan Ryan (Labour)

To say this Bill is the consequence of peculiar decision making is to put it generously. The fundamental problem is the belief that competition is the remedy. In my view, good regulation is the solution and we have never had that. There was a cosy consensus, an easy relationship, between the VHI and public and private hospitals. They effectively made deals which made fortunes for private and public hospitals and it was all handed on to the consumer. It could have been dealt with by ensuring that there was real pricing and we were not subsidising easy-going private and public hospitals through the VHI when things were cheaper. This is an appalling and unnecessary rush and a terrible derogation of the Oireachtas responsibility, coming from a Department whose reputation for drafting sloppy legislation gives us all good reason to be nervous.