Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to comment on subhead E. As the Chairman will know, I flagged an issue when we set the agenda for today's meeting. I refer to the EU directive on cross-border treatments, which is under the remit of refunds from the member states of the European Community. The directive will kick in from 25 October and potentially has great implications for the health service for this year and, significantly, next year. We do not yet know how the legislation will be implemented. We do not know whether it will be through regulation or primary legislation, because the Department has not been able to indicate either way. The directive is a significant piece of legislation that needs to be enacted in the State by 25 October. Has provision been made for it in the Estimates? What mechanism is the Department using to implement the directive?