Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have three minutes for questions and answers and Deputy Mattie McGrath has the remainder of the time.

We have been six months fighting on the cross-border directive for a new scheme. There seemingly is a newly announced Northern Ireland planned healthcare initiative. Will this scheme be available to people from west Cork or elsewhere in the Republic of Ireland who have problems with cataracts, hips or knees, or are generally in need of surgical procedures, in exactly the same way as the old cross-border scheme? I am happy this has been announced and I thank the Minister and others involved but there is the worry that it is not a seamless transition. If it is, the Minister might explain that. Why is it until 31 December of this year? Will I be back in the same situation on the floor of the Dáil in October or November worrying that we will not have a scheme in place? Due to the procedures held up by Covid this year, I can see that where there were 7,000 using it last year, it could well be 10,000 or 12,000 using it next year. The Minister might be able to explain the new scheme.

See this speech in context