Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

This is a business Bill which is of little interest to most people inside or outside this House. It concerns the transaction of business in the European Union and allows companies work across borders within the Union. What about the inverse? Is there any chance that Irish people could get mortgages or other loans in other jurisdictions? The Bill focuses on companies coming to operate here. Recently, however, it has been clear that there is no competition in the market for insurance products here. People can do nothing to avail of better deals on financial products in other jurisdictions.

Does the Government have anything in mind to ensure a two-way flow from this legislation? There are significant restrictions on getting products in other jurisdictions, for example the banks' clearing house would obstruct someone trying to pay a mortgage in another country. The Irish Payment Services Organisation manages the clearing of cheques, drafts and direct debits between banks. The Bank of Scotland had a serious problem with this a few years ago but we have heard nothing since it was accepted into the system. The Government does not appear to be doing anything off its own bat to help Irish people. It is doing what the European Commission tells it to do with this Bill. What does it have in mind that would work in the other direction?

As an example of my point, last year Seán Quinn purchased BUPA Ireland and there was much talk about how this would improve the health insurance market because Mr. Quinn works aggressively and has a history of dropping premia for car and house insurance. Last week, however, he announced that some health insurance premia would rise by 18%, presumably because he had no choice. This dovetails with the VHI's recent premium increases and continues the trend in the private health insurance market since 1996 when the market was supposedly opened up. Meanwhile it is Government policy to drive more people into the private health insurance market but there is no competition in that market, where two large companies dovetail their premia.

Seán Quinn wanted to reduce the amount paid to private hospitals and consultants to reduce premia but the consultants involved refused to see BUPA patients. That is the type of vested interest that controls the health insurance market. This left Mr. Quinn and BUPA with no choice but to continue to pay the consultants the same rates as VHI. The consultants, not the two largest health insurers in this market, dictate the cost of their products. In any other country that would be considered restrictive practice. The Government is doing nothing about this apart from making the market bigger and more lucrative.

The consultants will get their money because the Taoiseach has granted them significant benchmarking payments in the past three years. A few weeks ago, however, he told the Dáil that if these people did the job they are paid to do in the public hospitals there might be no waiting lists. He is either being stupid or acknowledging that he has no control over the health services. He is supporting a policy that forces customers into the private market for their health care. The customers are getting a raw deal.

The people who will gain from this financial legislation are those who have substantial assets or make substantial profits from their businesses. The Government is not prepared to do anything to help the ordinary people go about their business. None of us can seek cheaper loans or health insurance in other jurisdictions. Will the Minister of State comment on this in his closing statement? It is good to see such important legislation being introduced because the purpose of the European Union is to break down borders and make it easier for people to get these services.

The Minister for Finance needs to clarify the recent treatment of civil servants. The idea that civil servants in the Departments of the Taoiseach, Finance and Transport, who were aware of events in Shannon were unbelievably careless about informing their Ministers, hit a raw nerve. Three years ago when I was health spokesperson for Fine Gael on the Oireachtas Joint Committee for Health and Children I dealt with the then Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, and the Ministers of State at that Department, Deputies Tim O'Malley and Callely, all of whom acted as if they were completely stupid in respect of the illegal nursing home charges. The Minister said he had never heard about it, Deputy Callely had heard about it, whispered it to the Taoiseach and then forgot about it. Three years later we are seeing a re-run of the Travers report and once again the civil servants are the bogey men. Whatever about the illegal nursing home charges getting lost within a Department, it is unbelievable that nobody in three Departments knew what was going on between Shannon Airport and Aer Lingus.

While I am not surprised that Ministers would be complacent in finding out about it for themselves, that is not the same as the idea that senior civil servants would not inform their Ministers about what was going on, when they clearly understood the importance of it. That is important because officials and Ministers from the Department of Finance have been going on in the last few years about performance indicators for civil servants. When I was on the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service, senior civil servants used to take their role on performance very seriously. That three senior Ministers from the Department of Transport and Marine, the Department of Finance and the Department of the Taoiseach did not know what was going on regarding Shannon is not unbelievable. I believe somebody is lying. That should be made clear to the public. Somebody is lying on this issue and it needs to be cleared up.

This is not the same as the difficulties encountered by the NRA in controlling its spending. Nor is it the same as the problems in the HSE, where senior managers paid themselves hefty bonuses but failed to stay within their budgets and are now penalising patients for it. There is something wrong here and some serious questions need to be answered by the Minister for Finance. If the Minister of State cannot answer these questions in his closing remarks, then the Minister for Finance should come into the House and tell us what is going on. The Department of Finance is responsible for all the improvements in the performance of the Civil Service. There has been a range of reports over the years on the change management process in the Civil Service. If anybody tries to tell me that those involved slipped up and failed to inform Ministers what was going on, then I do not believe it.

I have no difficulty with this Bill, but can the Department and the Minister do more to provide ordinary services to people in this country?