Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy referenced the cross-Border directive. As a Border Deputy, he will be particularly concerned about and pleased with the work we have done in this House to protect reciprocal health arrangements in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The Brexit omnibus Bill we passed in April means that reciprocal healthcare rights, which apply to people travelling between North and South and, indeed, east and west, will continue regardless of the political environment into which a no-deal Brexit could bring us.

I do not disagree with the Deputy about ensuring we utilise all the capacity here, though we are making progress in that regard. The NTPF thankfully no longer just spends its money on private hospitals. It has invested €1 million in Nenagh to open a new cataract theatre, which is bringing real progress in that mid-west. It has also opened theatres in Bantry General Hospital. When I visited Monaghan, I was told at great length that the fund could be doing more there, but the NTPF needs to receive proposals from the hospital and hospital group first. I am satisfied that we, working with Fianna Fáil, have provided the NTPF with a level of funding that should allow it to respond positively to such proposals.

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