asked the Minister for Health the date in 1987 on which the application from the Voluntary Health Insurance for an increase in subsription rates was first received; the amount of the increase sought; and when he proposes to lay the 1986 Voluntary Health Insurance annual report before the Houses of the Oireachtas and issue his decision on the application.
Written Answers. - Voluntary Health Insurance.
245.
A statement outlining the present and projected financial position of the Voluntary Health Insurance Board was received in my Department at the end of July this year. While not making a formal application for a specific increase in premium rates, this document detailed the consequences of several policy options as viewed by the board and has formed the basis for an on-going series of exchanges between my Department and the board. These discussions have also included a number of other options which I wished to have evaluated before reaching a decision; I hope to issue this decision shortly.
I am also considering in this context the board's annual accounts and report for the year ended 28 February 1987, and expect to lay them before the Dáil in the near future.