Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Some 80,000 people are on our waiting list for surgery, which is a terrible indictment of the HSE. Many are choosing to leave Ireland and go to Northern Ireland and the UK because of the cross-border directive, especially for smaller surgeries, including joint replacements and for cataracts. In 2017, more than 2,000 people went and in 2018, more than 3,000 people went. There is significant concern that, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, people who are scheduling appointments for after 29 March may not get them. I know a lady who has to have two eyes operated on for cataracts. One will be operated on before 29 March and the other after 29 March. What advice would the Tánaiste give to people in that situation?

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