asked the Minister for Health whether any talks regarding reciprocal arrangements for medical treatment between Britain and this country have taken place with the British Minister.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Medical Treatment.
5.
No talks of this nature have taken place.
Is the Minister aware of the statement last week in the British House of Commons by the British Minister of Health, Mr. Kenneth Robinson, to the effect that such arrangements have broken down because of the relationship of health treatment in this country to income considerations, that this was one of the reasons why these arrangements could not take place?
I am not so aware.
There was such a statement published in the papers of last week. I wish to draw the Minister's attention to the necessity for having such arrangements between this country and Britain. There are many Irish workers who are forced to work in Britain because they cannot find employment at home. If they became ill in England, they could return home if there were such arrangements in existence. There are social measures for health in Britain which are an improvement on our own.
I thank the Deputy for the homily. I shall try to get some sense out of it.
The position in this House is that we must keep Ministers of the Government in tune with what is happening in the British House of Commons.