Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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505. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons here who have used the cross-border health care directive per annum since its inception to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19311/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Health Service Executive operates the EU Directive on Patients’ Rights in Cross Border Healthcare in Ireland. The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine the matter of the data requested and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.

Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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506. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons who have used the cross-border health care directive, by county in tabular form. [19312/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Health Service Executive operates the EU Directive on Patients’ Rights in Cross Border Healthcare in Ireland. The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine the matter of the data requested and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.

Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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507. To ask the Minister for Health the total amount of money reimbursed to persons under the cross-border health care directive per annum since its inception, in tabular form. [19313/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Health Service Executive operates the EU Directive on Patients’ Rights in Cross Border Healthcare in Ireland. The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine the matter of the data requested and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.

Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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508. To ask the Minister for Health to give an update on the implementation of the cross-border directive. [19314/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The EU Directive on Patients’ Rights in Cross Border Healthcare has been transposed by Statutory Instruments No. 203 of 2014, the European Union (Application of Patients’ Rights in Cross-Border Healthcare) Regulations 2014, which came into operation on 1 June 2014, and S.I. 65 of 2015, the European Union (Application of Patients’ Rights in Cross-Border Healthcare) (Amendment) Regulations 2015, which was signed into law on 23 February 2015. Awareness of the provisions of the Cross-Border Directive has grown substantially recently, reflected in the activity in the NCP and the HSE has been asked to provide data to the Deputy directly.

The Health Service Executive operates the EU Directive on Patients’ Rights in Cross Border Healthcare in Ireland. In line with practice in other EU Member States, the HSE, through the National Contact Point (NCP) office, provides information for patients on the Cross-Border Directive on its website - - and also by phone. The principal function of the NCP (which is the mechanism specified under the Directive for the dissemination of information on the Directive by Member States) is to facilitate exchange of information for patients concerning their rights and entitlements relating to receiving healthcare in another Member State, in particular the terms and conditions for reimbursement of cost and the procedures for accessing and determining those entitlements.

The NCP also has a responsibility to ensure that all enquirers are informed of the right to healthcare, if any, that they may have through the European legislation on the coordination of social security schemes (EU Regulation 883/04) and which may be more beneficial to them. The NCP is able to inform patients what the cost of their treatments would be in Ireland to allow them make a comparison with the costs they are being quoted for comparable treatment in another Member State.

Similar to other healthcare schemes operated by EU Member States under Community legislation, access to healthcare abroad under the Cross-Border Healthcare Directive is based on patients following public patient pathways, hence the HSE has in particular concentrated on informing the doctors who make the referrals. 

Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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509. To ask the Minister for Health if he has held or plans to hold meetings with his Northern Irish counterparts with regard to the cross-border directive in light of the Brexit referendum result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19315/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The EU Directive 2011/24/EU on Patients’ Rights in Cross Border Healthcare aims to ensure EU citizens may access safe and good quality healthcare services across EU borders. The Directive establishes a framework for cross border healthcare between EU/EEA states to facilitate patients to access care in another Member State in accordance with their entitlements in their own country. Under the Directive, known as the Cross Border Healthcare Directive (CBD), insured patients are entitled to have the costs of cross-border healthcare services reimbursed if the healthcare service in question is among the benefits to which they are entitled in their Member State of affiliation. As such, it allows Irish residents to avail of healthcare in other EU or EEA (excluding Switzerland) Member States that they would be entitled to within the public health system in Ireland, which is not contrary to Irish legislation.

The result of the recent EU Referendum in the UK means that the UK electorate have declared their wish to leave the EU. It is important to be clear that the UK has not yet left the EU. Until it formally withdraws from the Union, it remains a full Member, with all of its existing rights and obligations. I wish to assure the Deputy that there will be no immediate changes in the area of health as a consequence of the UK’s decision to leave the EU. Irish patients who had planned to travel to the UK under the CBD in the near future may continue to do as planned.

The terms of a British exit from the EU are unknown at this stage. It is expected to take a minimum of two years of negotiations between all EU member states, including Ireland, to agree a new arrangement between the UK and the EU, and the Department of Health will be fully involved in these negotiations.

The North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) Plenary took place on Monday 4 July. This provided an important opportunity for an initial strategic discussion between the Government and the NI Executive on the impact of the recent UK referendum.

In order to optimise joint planning and engagement on key issues arising following the UK referendum result, the NSMC agreed to work together to ensure that Northern Ireland’s interests are protected and advanced and the benefits of North/South co-operation are fully recognised in any new arrangements which emerge as regards the United Kingdom’s future relationship with the European Union.

NSMC ministerial sectoral meetings will provide an important forum for consideration of the strategic and cross-cutting issues arising from the UK referendum. The next NSMC Health and Food Safety ministerial sectoral meeting is scheduled to take place in autumn 2016.

In advance of this, my Department will build on initial work completed to undertake a full audit of the possible impacts, risks, opportunities and contingencies arising over the longer term, in the phases preceding and following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

This work will be conducted by a sub-committee of the Management Board, which was set up in advance of the UK referendum to examine the potential consequences of a UK decision to leave the EU on healthcare in Ireland and for Irish citizens.

Regular contact with counterparts at political and official level will be maintained throughout this process.

Further discussion on the implications of the referendum result will take place at the next NSMC Plenary, which takes place in Armagh in November.