Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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183. To ask the Minister for Health if she will urgently examine the possibility of carrying out procedures that qualify under the EU cross border initiative in Irish hospitals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23674/25]

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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1034. To ask the Minister for Health if she will urgently examine the possibility of carrying out procedures that qualify under the EU cross border initiative in Irish hospitals (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23470/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 183 and 1034 together.

It is acknowledged that many patients are still waiting too long for hospital appointments and treatments. I am conscious of the burden that this places on patients and their families.

I published the Waiting List Action Plan (WLAP) for 2025 on February 12th, representing this Government’s commitment to reducing waiting times for patients and improving access to hospital care.

In keeping with this commitment, significant funding of €420m is being allocated to the Waiting List Action Plan for 2025, €190m for the HSE and €230m for the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).

With the 2025 plan, we will continue to build upon the progress delivered to date under the multi annual action plan approach, progressing towards the ultimate vision of a public healthcare service in which everyone has timely access to high-quality scheduled care, where and when they need it.

My Department continues to work with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to identify ways to improve access to care and to maximise the use of available capacity in the public and private healthcare sectors.

Both the HSE and the NTPF commission a range of treatments for patients within the State, through insourcing additional capacity in the public system and outsourcing treatment in private healthcare facilities. Clinically suitable patients are offered treatment under HSE or NTPF frameworks at an alternative hospital where capacity is available. While the patient’s address is taken into consideration, capacity for the treatment they require may not be available at a hospital close to where they live.

The HSE operates the EU Cross Border Directive (CBD) in Ireland, which plays an important role in facilitating Irish patients to access planned treatment abroad in another EU/EEA country. The EU Cross Border Directive (CBD) provides rules for the reimbursements to patients of the cost of receiving treatment abroad, where the patient would be entitled to such treatment in their home Member State, and supplements the rights that patients already have at EU level.