Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 180: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if the Health Service Executive will provide financial support to persons who undergo a specific treatment abroad (details supplied). [13896/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Entitlement to treatment abroad is provided for under Regulation (EC) 1408/71, which deals with the co-ordination of social security, including health care, between EU/EEA member states and Switzerland. Under its provisions, persons who are insured with or covered by the public health care system of one member state are entitled to receive health care in the public system of another member state under certain circumstances. In particular, Article 22(1)(c) of the regulation governs the referral of patients for public health services to another of these countries (E112 arrangements). Under this provision, a person who is eligible for health services in Ireland may be referred by the HSE for treatment in the public health system of another member state. In such cases, a Form E112 is issued by the HSE, which involves a commitment by the Executive to pay the cost of treatment. However, the Regulation provides that entitlement to have treatment abroad under this provision is contingent, inter alia, on the treatment in question being among the benefits provided for by Irish legislation. This means that there can be no entitlement to receive a particular treatment in another European country at the cost of the HSE unless the patient is eligible for the same or similar treatment within the Irish public health care system. As there is no eligibility for pre-implantation genetic diagnosis within the Irish public healthcare system, there is therefore no entitlement to have the costs of this treatment met under E112 arrangements.