Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this question and I know of his particular interest as this is a matter he has raised in this House on a number of occasions. I very much appreciate the importance of the cross-border directive and we have worked very hard, in the context of Brexit, to make sure cross-border healthcare, and healthcare North and South on this island, and east and west, can continue. I am very pleased with the progress that has been made in this regard.

The cross-border directive allows public patients to access necessary healthcare, which they would have been entitled to access in the public healthcare system in Ireland, in another EU or EEA country. The patient pays upfront for the treatment and is reimbursed upon return to Ireland.

The HSE is responsible for the operation of the cross-border directive and has a dedicated cross-border directive office for this purpose. Since being introduced in 2014, awareness of the provisions of the directive has grown steadily. In 2015, the first full year of operation of the scheme, 150 reimbursements were made at a cost of €585,863. In 2018, some 3,886 reimbursement claims were processed, at a value in excess of €12 million. Significant further growth is expected in 2019 as people become more aware of the scheme, and we are seeing this across the EU.

The growth in use of the scheme has placed additional demands on the cross-border directive office and given rise to a build-up of applications. It is important that this service operates in a responsive way, and that both treatment approvals and reimbursement applications are processed within a reasonable timeframe. I, therefore, requested the HSE to examine current resourcing of the cross-border directive office and to identify any necessary actions needed to mitigate waiting times arising from current demands for the scheme. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that I have now been advised by the HSE that additional resources are being allocated and specific initiatives implemented to urgently address the backlog and delays in reimbursement. My Department will continue to engage with the HSE to ensure that the measures being implemented facilitate the efficient ongoing operation of the scheme.

In the next couple of weeks, we will be publishing the HSE service plan for 2020. I expect and, indeed, am aware that the plan will show a very significant increase in the resources being provided to this office to do exactly what the Deputy is suggesting.

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