Peadar Tóibín
Question:694. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health to outline the gaps in health outcomes that are widening between the North and South of Ireland each year. [53761/25]
View answerTuesday, 7 October 2025
Questions (694)
Written answers
There are no pieces of research carried out by the Department of Health into health services that are available in Ireland, and not in Northern Ireland, and vice versa.
However, a number of pieces of research into these issues have been undertaken with the support of public funding by the Economic and Social Research Institute and are included below.
Since 2014 the ESRI have developed expertise in health through the Joint Research Programme on Healthcare Reform with the Department of Health. The Institute also receives an annual grant-in-aid from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to support the scientific and public interest elements of the Institute’s activities. Dedicated funding for cross boarder research is available through a joint research programme between the ESRI and the Shared Island Unit of the Department of the Taoiseach on The Economic and Social Opportunities from Increased Cooperation on the Shared Island.
The research below includes a comparative analysis of primary care health systems and measures of health and well-being between the two jurisdictions.
"An Analysis of the Primary Care Systems of Ireland and Northern Ireland" (2022) — Authors: Sheelah Connolly, Aoife Brick, Ciarán O'Neill, Michael O'Mahony
"Economic Overview of Ireland and Northern Ireland" (2025) — Authors: Adele Bergin, Seamus McGuinness
"Who is Better Off? Measuring Cross-Border Differences in Living Standards, Opportunities and Quality of Life on the Island of Ireland" (2020) — Authors: Adele Bergin, Seamus McGuinness, et al.