Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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292. To ask the Minister for Health if persons in receipt of a British pension can apply for reimbursement of costs for healthcare treatment received in another EU member state under the cross-border directive scheme; if there are other arrangements in place that allow persons in receipt of a British pension to apply for reimbursement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10655/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Prior to the 1st January 2021, UK pensioners residing in Ireland who had accessed healthcare under the EU Cross Border Directive were required to have their healthcare costs reimbursed by the UK as this was a requirement of the provisions of the EU Cross Border Directive. As a result of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, the provisions of the EU Cross Border Directive no longer apply to the UK.

Separately, the Northern Ireland Planned Healthcare Scheme has been in effective operation since 1 January 2021. This Scheme was introduced to mitigate the loss of access to care from private providers in Northern Ireland under the EU Cross Border Directive, which ceased to apply as a result of Brexit. The Northern Ireland Planned Healthcare Scheme enables persons resident in the State to access and be reimbursed for private healthcare in Northern Ireland by the HSE, provided such healthcare is publicly available within Ireland.