Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 October 2012
226. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 225 of 19 September 2012, if he will provide a detailed breakdown, with itemised costs, of the services obtained from Goodbody Stockbrokers for the €333,413 paid by his Department to the company in 2011 and 2012 [42417/12]
View answerFollowing a competitive EU tendering process, in 2011 I appointed Goodbody Stockbrokers and Matheson Ormsby Prentice Solicitors as financial and legal advisors to make recommendations on options to address the current imbalance in the private health insurance market.
The consortium has presented a report to me which I am considering in the context of the future structure of the Private Health Insurance market as we prepare for the introduction of Universal Health Insurance. The work of the consortium involved financial and legal advice relating to this issue of rebalancing and it is still under consideration.
The Goodbody/Matheson Ormsby Prentice consortium was chosen as the most economically advantageous proposal, following EU public procurement rules, arising from the competitive process. The terms of the request for tenders issued for the competitive process required each tendering party to provide a total fixed price, inclusive of VAT and all expenses, for all of the services they proposed to provide. A more detailed breakdown of the costs of the work undertaken by the consortium would consist of commercially sensitive information which I do not consider it appropriate to release.
