To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of progress towards agreement of European Union proposals in relation to patients who wish to travel to other EU member states for treatment and have their costs reimbursed. (241350)

The draft directive on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border health care is subject to the co-decision procedure and is at an early stage of negotiations. In the European Parliament, the rapporteur has recently published a draft report. It is possible that the European Parliament could complete its first reading before the European elections. If not, it will need to undertake this in the next parliamentary session.

Initial discussions on the draft directive on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border health care have been held in the Council of the European Union working groups under the French presidency. European Union Health Ministers will discuss several issues including the draft directive on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border health care at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on 16 December. We will provide an update to Parliament on the outcome of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council.