Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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1142. To ask the Minister for Health the amount of money owed to his Department by other EU Countries under the European Health Insurance Card Scheme; the efforts being taken to recoup this money; the amount of money owed by his Department to other countries under this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46368/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The amount owed by Ireland to other States arising from treatments received by persons holding Irish issued European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) is in the region of €17 million. Ireland has had waiver agreements with a number of member states whereby such costs were mutually waived. Many of these agreements have been terminated in recent years. In view of this and of the increased numbers availing of services since the EU was expanded the HSE is currently working on systems to capture EHIC costs so as to enable it to commence the issuing of claims for reimbursement of costs to the relevant competent states in the near future.

I would like to add that Ireland's primary interaction has been, and continues to be, with the United Kingdom with whom it operates a bilateral healthcare reimbursement agreement, covering such persons as temporary visitors between the two countries (EHIC), pensioners of one country and their dependants residing in the other country, and the dependant families of persons employed in the other country. Under the terms of the agreement net liability between the two countries is calculated on a lump sum basis rather than an individual basis. The amount received by Ireland from the United Kingdom in respect of reimbursement of healthcare costs provided under the relevant EU Regulations was €220 million in 2012.