Vol. 459 No. 3
26 Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn asked the Minister for Health if the health insurance regulations or aspects in relation to these regulations, including the provisions for the treatment of psychiatric patients, have been signed-off with the EU by him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18146/95]
(Limerick East): My Department is having discussions with the European Commission on the draft regulatory framework for private health insurance. I expect that these discussions will be concluded in the very near future and I hope then to be in a position to sign the regulations.
Is the Minister stating that no part of the health insurance regulations or any aspect of them was in any way signed off with the EU prior to his coming to office?
(Limerick East): The Deputy will recall that I promulgated the regulations last March and they were brought forward as draft regulations for the purpose of discussion. I have received quite a number of submissions and, before I finalise them, I need to be sure they are in accordance with EU policy.
Nothing, obviously, was signed off in the regulations before I came to office because I promulgated them but they had to be in accordance with the Insurance Act, 1992, which lay down the primary policy in respect of the type of health insurance market which we would organise here. The regulations run from the Act so I certainly did not have a free hand and I was constrained by the Act, with which the Deputy would be familiar because she was in that Administration.
The Deputy knows the competition regulations in Europe are onerous. They apply to health insurance as well as to everything else but we nearly have an accommodation and I hope to be able to sign them shortly.
