Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 121: To ask the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that when Fingal County Council transferred responsibility for pension payment to retired vocational education committee employees to the Paymaster General, that the Paymaster General changed the renewal period for those with VHI healthcare plans, meaning that there was a period when those in receipt of pension payments were not covered under their VHI plans. [6310/12]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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There is a long standing agreement with all of the health insurance companies, including the VHI, where an individual's health cover remains in place even in circumstances where, through no fault of his/her own, a premium is not paid. As part of the move to the greater use of shared services in the public sector in order to drive efficiencies, the Paymaster General's Office, which is part of my Department, took over the payment, on an agency basis, of pensions of the retired staff of the Vocational Education Committees. Payment of these pensions was previously made through the local authorities. When those in receipt of pension paid via Fingal County Council moved to the payroll of the Paymaster General's Office in November 2011, there was no period during the transfer when they were not covered under their VHI plans.