Mr. Paul Barron:

Unfortunately we are running a little late. It was due to be transposed at the end of October last, but we did not meet this deadline because of the pressure of domestic legislation. The small eligibility unit I head has been involved in a number of pieces of domestic legislation relating to our health services, some of it quite controversial with regard to private patient charges and changing the thresholds for medical cards for those aged over 70. It has held us up, but our aim is to have the directive fully transposed by the end of this quarter. The HSE has already established the national contact point. Work must be done on pricing procedures. Someone going abroad is entitled to an indication of the level of reimbursement on their return. This means the HSE must have a schedule of prices available for various procedures so patients will know the likely reimbursement on their return and can make decisions accordingly. All of this work is being done in advance of the transposition, which we hope will happen by the end of this quarter.