Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Background

The Health Information Bill will provide a legal framework to help create a fit-for-purpose, modern, digital-first health information system in Ireland which will support the care and treatment of patients. It will ensure that health information is available to patients and doctors at the right place and at the right time and it will also support better overall planning of our health services.

The Bill will be a key enabler of the new Digital Health & Social Care Strategic Framework in supporting the development of an integrated health information system. Importantly, the scope of the Bill applies across the spectrum of the health services - private, voluntary and public.

Timeline

The Government approved the General Scheme of the Health Information Bill on 18 April of this year and pre-Legislative scrutiny was concluded in July.

The Bill has priority status within the Office of the Attorney General and formal drafting is underway. My officials are working closely with the HSE and other stakeholders to support this work. The Bill is expected to be published in Q1 2024, after which its passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas will be scheduled.

Implementation will be on a phased and structured basis to ensure that the new health information framework and structures can be embedded successfully. Implementation timelines will also align with the overall timelines of the new EU Regulation on the European Health Data Space which is currently being negotiated and is the first sectoral data space to be established following the EU Data Strategy 2020.