§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the extent of elective surgery conducted in Northern Ireland on citizens of the Irish Republic in 2003; and if he will make a statement. [150758]
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§ Angela SmithThe total number of elective admissions to surgical specialties in Northern Ireland by residents of the Republic of Ireland during the 2002–03 financial year was 319, which comprises 136 normal in-patients and 183 day cases.
Residents of countries within the European Union are entitled to treatment if they are taken ill while visiting another European Union state. Patients may also be transferred to another country under formal contractual arrangements between individual hospitals or health boards if the treatment required is not available locally. Consequently, residents from the Republic of Ireland are sometimes treated in Northern Ireland and vice versa.