4016. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the digital sovereignty considerations that are being applied to the procurement of the National Electronic Health Record system, in view of a matter (details supplied); and if her Department or the Office of Government Procurement has assessed certain digital sovereignty implications. [63787/26]

The National Electronic Health Record (EHR) Programme is a key component of Digital for Care and will support the delivery of safer, more integrated and patient-centred healthcare. Government approved the Preliminary Business Case for the National EHR Programme in February 2026 and work is continuing on the next stages of the programme, including development of the Definitive Business Case, in preparations for Gate 2 approval and progression of the procurement process in accordance with the Government's Infrastructure Guidelines.

In progressing the National EHR Programme, the Department of Health and the HSE are considering a broad range of matters including digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, data protection, digital resilience, interoperability, governance, patient safety and compliance with Irish and European law, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These considerations form part of the wider policy, governance and procurement framework for the programme.

Regardless of the supplier selected through a competitive procurement process, the State will retain responsibility for the governance, policy and regulatory arrangements under which the National EHR operates. Patient health information will remain subject to Irish and European law, including data protection legislation, and the National EHR Programme will be required to support national policy objectives and relevant European requirements, consistent with the arrangements that apply across existing national digital health programmes. The nationality of a supplier does not alter the requirement that the National EHR operate within the State's legal, regulatory and governance framework, nor does it diminish the State's responsibility for oversight, accountability and the protection of patient health information.

The Department of Health and the HSE continue to monitor developments at European level relating to digital sovereignty, strategic digital resilience and health data governance, including implementation of the European Health Data Space (EHDS). The EHDS is intended to strengthen individuals' rights in relation to their health information, support interoperable electronic health records and establish a common governance framework for electronic health data across the European Union. These developments are relevant to the continued evolution of Ireland's digital health infrastructure, including the National EHR Programme.