Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

Obviously we raised a number of concerns in the course of this debate about the evolving health insurance market here. We highlighted issues about which we were concerned, some of which centred on the database. VHI has the potential for abuse of that database given the extension of subsidiaries etc. However, now is not the time to go into those matters again. We also raised our concerns about what people buying health insurance have access to at the moment given the changed nature of health services here and some of the challenges which face the development and provision of our health services. Clearly it was imperative that the Bill be passed given the concerns expressed at EU level on competition. One would want to wish the VHI well given the very wide range of services it has provided very effectively when nobody else in the country was doing so. I thank the Minister of State and his officials for their work in drafting the Bill.