Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank our visitors. I apologise for missing the start of the meeting and the contributions. I hope my initial question will not be too repetitive.

I am still not clear around the issue of cataract treatment and hip replacement, for example, under this directive. How does it apply to ordinary citizens in terms of retaining access to healthcare in the North? I would be grateful if that could just be touched upon again.

I am obviously coming at this from a different perspective in terms of any detail around reciprocal arrangements for people in the North who want to avail of healthcare in the South. What is the latest on that?

During the passage of the Brexit omnibus legislation, the Minister announced that citizens in the North would continue to have access to the EHIC, European health insurance card. While appreciating there will not be too many European holidays at the minute, I am just wondering, as we emerge safely out the other end of the restrictions, just what measures are in place to ensure that people know that they still have access to that entitlement. We have lost a hell of a lot of entitlements and rights in the North but this is one that we can retain. It is important that people know that entitlement is there and how they can access and avail of it should they be travelling once it is safe to do so.