Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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875. To ask the Minister for Health if the European Union involves itself in setting hospital standards and regulations across Europe. [22439/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The scope for EU action in health policy is set in Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The overriding principle is that human health is well protected and accounted for in the development of all EU policies and activities.

The Treaty also makes clear that the EU shall fully respect the responsibility of individual Member States to define their health policies and organise and deliver their health services and medical care, including any resources assigned to them.

The EU mostly complements and supports the work that goes on in individual Member States on issues where coordination cooperation and exchange of information, knowledge and best practice is the best way forward. For example, under the EU Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), the Patient Safety and Quality of Care Expert Group supports and guides Member States in developing their respective patient safety agendas, including the prevention and control of healthcare associated infections. The Group, which also comprises relevant stakeholders (professional associations at European level and interested agencies) is working to develop a framework for a sustainable EU collaboration on patient safety and quality of care in order to advance the overall patient safety agenda. It also supports a Patient Safety Joint Action initiative which has worked across Member States to develop practical work packages to support healthcare across the Community.