Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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153. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department has a scheme to provide funding for persons who need to have specialist surgery carried out in the USA, when this surgery is not available here or in the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2911/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The HSE operates the Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS) for persons entitled to treatment in another EU/EEA member state or Switzerland under EU Regulation (EC) No. 883/2004, as per the procedures set out in EU Regulations (EC) No. 987/2009, and in accordance with Department of Health Guidelines. Patients have the ability to apply to the HSE TAS seeking access to public health care outside the state through model form E112. The application requires the patient's Irish based public referring hospital consultant, following clinical assessment, to certify, among other things, that the treatment is medically necessary and will meet the patient’s needs. The treatment must not be available within the State or not available within a time normally necessary for obtaining it.

There is no statutory framework for referral of patients outside the EU/EEA member states. In the instance that a consultant wishes to refer a patient to a non-EU/EEA country e.g. the USA, the HSE TAS applies the TAS administrative process and documentation for the purposes of such applications. Such applications for treatment in non-EU/EEA countries are required to provide evidence that the treatment is not available within the EU/EEA.