Mr. Muiris O'Connor:

We explored it with the Minister and our counterparts in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I can understand the imperative surrouonding it. Health is one of the key strands of the Good Friday Agreement and a good bit of our energy in the third quarter of last year went into taking part with the EU 27 in a comprehensive mapping exercise. Again, it took Brexit from being a highfalutin concept to a reality check. There was a day-long meeting in Brussels involving the EU 27 across the table from their counterparts, including those from Northern Ireland. It was a very productive session that deepened the awareness of the EU 27 and that of the United Kingdom. There was a proposal to communicate with patients on the breadth, scope and benefits of co-operation. We detailed the level of co-operation and our shared commitment to maintain it. We also tried to float issues with a wider significance. Even a simple thing like a prescription being recognised on both sides of a border presumes a certain equivalence in the regulation of medicines. One also presumes there is recognition of the qualifications of the signatory to the prescription and the pharmacist. On each of these little things we have shown the corresponding higher level issues and one can see some of the results of that work coming through. A certain amount has been agreed and we will outline how we can give effect to the commitment to continue to allow access to services. There are key issues the United Kingdom, in particular, has to face in its approach to the recognition of qualifications and the regulation of medicines and medical devices.

It is encouraging that the UK's regulators clearly recognise the merits of equivalence, but disclosing that is probably a political matter.

The ambulance network is being considered. We do not have any issue in that regard. Blue lights at the Border was probably one of the first issues cleared at meetings, in that it will not be a border.