Mr. Muiris O'Connor:

I thank Senator Wall. I will hand over to Ms Donohoe at the end of my contribution so she can give any detail we have on the socioeconomic background of the beneficiaries. We do not have direct socioeconomic background data but Ms Donohoe has a good insight into the beneficiaries and their profile.

On EU partners, the EU has been very supportive regarding the challenges Brexit presents for Ireland. In showing its appreciation for the importance and delicacy of the interrelationships across the island, it was very accommodating of the concept of the common travel area between Ireland and the UK. Under the common travel arrangement, we were able to negotiate a basis for the continuation of all reciprocal healthcare rights with the UK, including Northern Ireland. That would have held up irrespective of the outcome of Brexit. Even if there had been a no-deal Brexit scenario, we would have been ready to ensure continuity because of the work between Dublin, London and Belfast over the relevant period on all reciprocal rights. The difficulty with the cross-border directive is that it was not operating between Ireland and the UK on a reciprocal basis. The UK, even when a member of the EU, did not engage with it. I am not sure what issue it had with it. I believe it concerned the roll-out of the Single Market and the rights of Europeans, as citizens, to access healthcare in any of the member states and to have costs reimbursed.

On the unilateral scheme that we have put in place, I would not say the reception was welcoming but it was very accommodating. One of the tasks that Ms Morgan and her team were required to do in giving effect to the scheme was engage directly with the European Commission to ensure it understood our motivation here. The motivation was to ensure the continuity of healthcare services for Irish citizens and residents of Ireland to the greatest extent possible.

On the Department's perspective, clearly the scheme addresses and provides for the meeting of extensive healthcare needs of what could reasonably be considered an emergency nature. The conditions covered include conditions that generate a lot of discomfort for patients and conditions that deteriorate over time so we are very keen to ensure the most timely service for all Irish residents.

We wish to provide all these services as best we can within our own jurisdiction and the cross-border directive provides us with good insight into some procedures people feel the need to go beyond our borders to access. It is something we are keen to sustain and, in the longer term, to provide for comprehensively and in a timely way. I ask Ms Donohoe to share the information we have on the socio-demographic background.