§ Mr. Jon Owen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and the Northern Ireland Assembly concerning a definition for an unreasonable period of delay for treatment within the NHS, as phrased in the European Court of Justice ruling on treatment of patients abroad for patients from Wales. [109880]
§ Mr. BrowneThe European Court ruling regarding the authorisation to receive medical treatment in another member state of the European Economic Area, the E112 system, did not define what was meant by "undue delay" by implication leaving that a matter for determination by each member state. If "undue delay" is considered when dealing with applications for E112s the yardstick used is waiting time. The Department's definition of excess waiting times is similar to the national UK targets for waiting times as published in the NHS Plan.