Hospital consultants meet on fee deals

The Irish Hospital Consultants' Association has met the Competition Authority to discuss a schedule of minimum fees it has agreed with the Irish Insurance Federation and the Law Society's litigation committee.

A further meeting is due to take place between the two parties, where the focus will be on the agreed schedules of fees which the association has with the VHI and BUPA.

The authority has held a meeting with the VHI in relation to its agreements on consultants' fees. It has not been in contact with BUPA.

The Competition Authority made a "dawn raid" on the hospital consultants' association's offices some months ago and took documents relevant to the two matters which seem central to the authority's investigation.

The agreement between the association, the Law Society and the insurance federation concerns the fees charged for expert witness reports and court appearances. It is the result of negotiations brokered by the Law Society.

Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick, secretary general of the association, said the authority has refused to outline exactly what it was investigating and why. He said he was concerned about how long the authority's investigation might continue.

"It would be strange if a deal brokered by the Law Society was found to be in breach of the law of the land," he said. He also said the agreements the association had with BUPA and the VHI were, in his view, for the common good. He criticised the authority's raid on his offices, "as if we were some subversive organisation".

A spokesman for the Competition Authority confirmed it had visited the association's offices some months ago and that its inquiry was ongoing, but would not discuss the purpose of the inquiry.