Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 May 2023
46. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence his plans to enable all members of the Permanent Defence Forces to benefit from the same access to private healthcare as officers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22881/23]
View answerThe Programme for Government contained a commitment to "ensure that all enlisted members of the Defence Forces have the same access to healthcare as officers currently do". This commitment was subsequently endorsed as a recommendation of the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces published in February 2022, and is one of the early actions for implementation from that report under the High Level Action Plan published by Government in July 2022.
A Working Group on Medical Care was established in 2021 to bring forward proposals and identify an approach to implementing the Programme for Government commitment. Its work included analysing the range and cost of treatments currently provided to Officers and how best to provide this access to enlisted personnel. The Working Group reported during 2022.
Following detailed discussions between officials from my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, sanction has now been provided to regularise the provision of secondary healthcare for all Defence Forces, in line with what is currently available to Officers. This is in addition to the comprehensive package of primary healthcare benefits already available to all members of the Permanent Defence Force.
The details of how this will be implemented are now being considered with a view to introducing it as expeditiously as possible.
