The Irish Hospitals Consultants' Association (IHCA) says it has not received a written explanation as to why its offices were visited by the Competition Authority last month and why copies of documents were removed.
The general secretary of the IHCA, Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick, said all they knew was that a court warrant was issued by the District Court on March 12th under Section 21 of the Competition Act 1991 empowering the authority to enter and inspect the premises, records and documents, question staff and inquire how business was conducted.
He said no formal explanation had been given to the IHCA. "We have no idea whether they came on foot of a complaint or if it was on their own volition or a complaint from somebody. They said they would come back to us in three or four weeks but we still haven't heard anything from them."
They had contacted the authority asking for an immediate written reply. He said the Competition Authority had to seek permission from the District Court before searching the premises and an affidavit would have been made by an authority official on the reason for the investigation.
The IHCA is anxious to see a copy of the affidavit to learn the reasons for the investigation and see if a complaint had been made relating to agreements between the IHCA and other bodies.
Mr Fitzpatrick said the IHCA did not know if it was in breach of pricing regulations or not. As a result it had to postpone negotiations with the VHI and BUPA pending the outcome of the investigation.
He was concerned, he said, that the system, which had worked well in the interests of patients, might be dismantled. About 97 per cent of consultants had now entered the system, leaving no financial worries for patients.