The Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Act, 1996, requires the Voluntary Health Insurance Board to obtain the consent of the Minister for Health and Children to schemes of health insurance or health-related insurance it wishes to make available. I do not have before me for consideration, nor have I received, any request from the board for such consent in respect of a scheme to pay for patients to travel to see dentists in Northern Ireland.
The Deputy will appreciate that it is entirely a matter for the board to formulate details of proposed schemes, some of which may be commercially sensitive, and it would not assist the process for me to express a view in that regard without first having had the opportunity to consider the full and final details of any proposed schemes.