内容摘要：Mr Bowhay, who developed cataracts in both eyes at the age of four, has limited vision in just one eye.

Mr Bowhay, who developed cataracts in both eyes at the age of four, has limited vision in just one eye.

The £10m cross-border plan, designed to tackle waiting lists, came into effect on Monday morning.The Department of Health (DoH) said that, in future, patients would be able to claim back money for operations in the rest of the EU.

But a date has yet to be set for when that extension will happen, and the number of patients able to avail of it will depend on how much money is left from the cross-border scheme."The second phase of the scheme – extension to the rest of the EU – will go ahead," a DoH spokesperson said."The scale of available funding will clearly be connected to take-up levels for the first phase."

The department is already facing a £600m deficit in its budget as it struggles to reduce waiting lists and fund pay increases for healthcare workers.The reimbursement scheme was one of several initiatives Health Minister Mike Nesbitt announced to tackle waiting lists for planned operations, which are the highest in the UK.

The cross-border element of the scheme means patients will get back the amount of money the operation would have cost in Northern Ireland, subject to approval.

When it was launched last month, the department said full details of the plan were yet to be outlined and the full range of eligible procedures covered by the cross-border scheme was not known.Ms McMullan said Caitlin-Rose was "blindsided" when she walked out between two buses and "couldn't see traffic coming".

"My daughter unfortunately died on a 60mph road with no footpath, with no bus shelter and basically got off her bus on a mucky, grass verge - so the bus pass that she [was] issued, I thought was a death sentence," she said.Ms McMullan was speaking at Stormont where other families who lost loved ones in similar circumstances also shared their support for any legislation to tighten road safety laws.

Calls have been made for new laws to improve school bus safety in Northern Ireland since Caitlin-Rose's death.Ms McMullan said there are "no words to describe" how poor the safety around the bus stop was.