Mr. Muiris O'Connor:

No, there was an eagerness to maintain things and recognition of the benefits that arise. Much of this will be political and, politically, it is unclear what direction the UK will take.

Deputy Kelleher also referred to clinical research and co-operation between higher education and industry as well as the extensive co-operation between Ireland and the UK. This area is very much in the frame for us. It is led by the Department of Education and Skills but the Department of Health has a major interest because of the importance of health research.

In a sense, our approach is two-pronged. The first is to sustain and continue to develop the existing research collaborations with the UK and Northern Ireland. However, there is recognition that we must broaden our partnerships into the other 26 countries, in particular under the EU Horizon 2020 fund. Ireland has an ambitious target to get €1.25 billion between 2014 and 2020. It is unclear whether the UK would be automatically expected to leave or to what extent eligibility for Horizon 2020 would be affected, although there are some indications that the UK may be willing to continue to engage with the programme. In any event, there is a major opportunity for us perhaps to increase our share of European research funding drawdown and to build and deepen our partnerships beyond the UK in research.

Mr. Goodman will address the questions on cross-Border health care and the implications for the treatment abroad scheme.