Mr. Jim Breslin:

As of today, money would be paid because the ability to charge the insurer is not linked to the room being private. We removed that about four years ago. If one is a private patient in a public hospital, even if one is not in a single room, it is a chargeable event and one can be charged for that. That is the position as of today.

Members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health know that policy will change, going forward. Sláintecare has said we should remove private practice from public hospitals. We have commissioned a group, led by Donal de Buitléir, that has issued and published its report which is under consideration. The Minister has talked of his interest in taking an initiative, with consultants, to try to address the de Buitléir recommendations. That is likely to change the mix of private practice in our public hospitals, if not entirely eliminate it. The important thing is that the outpatient rooms that are being talked about as potentially available for private work are absolutely the same as all the other outpatient rooms. If they are not needed for private work, they will be used for public patients.