Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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157. To ask the Minister for Health the number of overseas study visits undertaken by officials of his Department since 9 March 2011 with regard to the proposed introduction of universal health insurance; the details and destinations for each; and the costs and expenses incurred in each. [25442/15]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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158. To ask the Minister for Health the number of symposiums and conferences organised by officials in his Department since 9 March 2011, with regard to the proposed introduction of universal health insurance; the details of same; and the costs and expenses incurred in each. [25443/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 157 and 158 together.

Since February 2011, two overseas study visits, one to the Netherlands and one to Germany, were undertaken by officials from my Department in order to examine those countries’ health systems as part of the implementation of universal health insurance.

The study visit to the Netherlands on 17^thJune 2011 involved a meeting between the Irish delegation, comprising officials from my Department (2 Principal Officers) and the Health Insurance Authority, and the Dutch Ministry for Health, Welfare and Sport and the Dutch Health Care Insurance Board. As well as considering that country’s health insurance system, the meeting focused predominantly on Risk Equalisation. The total costs incurred by my Department in relation to the attendance of the two officials amounted to €2,344.42. It should be noted that this amount also covered costs associated with a meeting in Brussels on 16^thJune 2011 between the two Department of Health officials and the EU Commission in relation to the private health insurance market. The costs arising in the case of those attending from the Health Insurance Authority were met by the Authority.

The study visit to Germany in March 2012 involved a meeting between officials from my Department (1 Principal Officer) and the HSE and the Inek Institute (German Institute for Hospital Remuneration). The discussions centred on hospital financing, notably Germany’s experience with its DRG case-based prospective system for funding hospitals. The total cost incurred by my Department amounted to €244.98. This is exclusive of a sum of €124 in respect of the return journey by train from Frankfurt Airport to the Inek Institute in Siegburg which was paid for by the HSE.

With regard to symposiums/conferences on UHI organised by officials in my Department since March 2011, the position is as follows:

- a seminar on UHI was held in Dublin in April 2011 which was attended by 4 experts from the World Health Organization, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the Dutch Health Ministry. The costs associated with this seminar amounted to €1,981.27 covering the cost of attendance (travel and accommodation) of the experts.

- a one day policy dialogue symposium on the design of the health basket under UHI was held in Dublin in November 2013. It was facilitated by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and included 5 international experts from the Netherlands, Israel and the WHO/European Observatory. The costs associated with this policy dialogue amounted to €3,359 covering the cost of attendance (travel and accommodation) of the five international experts.

Finally, the Implementation Group on Universal Health Insurance was established in March 2012 to assist in developing detailed and costed implementation proposals for universal health insurance and to help drive the implementation of various elements of the reform programme. The Group held a total of 10 meetings during 2012 and 2013. The Implementation Group membership comprised a mix of those with executive responsibilities within the health service as well as external expertise, including international experts working with the World Health Organization, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and others. The costs associated with the attendance of the international experts at the meetings (travel and accommodation) amounted to €2,165.54.