Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 December 2020
172. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health the discussions he has had with his counterpart in Northern Ireland in relation to the potential of expanding the remit of Co-operation and Working Together Partnership regarding the delivery of health services and additional cross-Border projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42439/20]
View answerI have met my Northern Ireland counterpart a number of times since I became Minister for Health and we have discussed a range of important issues. At the Health and Food Safety Sectoral Meeting of the North South Ministerial Council on 2 October we noted the work of the Cooperation and Working Together (CAWT) cross-border health and social care partnership.
CAWT is an organisation that continues to play a significant role in cross-border co-operation. The CAWT partners in Northern Ireland are the Health and Social Care Board, the Public Health Agency, the Southern Health and the Western Health and Social Care Trusts. The HSE is the CAWT partner in the South.
Through this partnership, the health and social care services in both jurisdictions have been working together in the border region to provide practical solutions to the health and social care needs of local communities since 1992.
CAWT’s primary activity is to support the existing health agencies in the border area in developing collaborative services and to co-ordinate the delivery of European Union INTERREG funded cross-border health and social care projects and services. CAWT led on the health projects for the two Departments North and South for INTERREG IVA; it is also leading on four projects and is partner on one project under the INTERREG V programme.
CAWT also undertakes cross-border work on behalf of the HSE and the Departments. I understand that CAWT will also seek to participate in the future Peace Plus Programme, if appropriate.
There has been significant activity in cross-border health and social care co-operation over recent decades and CAWT has played an important role in this. I look forward to CAWT's continued participation in North-South collaboration in the coming years.
