The Fianna Fail spokeswoman on Health, Ms Maire Geoghegan Quinn, called for clarification on whether cash plans, where costs vary according to the buyer's age, announced by the British health insurers BUPA complied with regulations on community rating.

The Minister of State for Health, Mr Austin Currie, said community rating was a core value of the system, but the BUPA schemes were only announced this week and the Department was at present examining them.