The Irish Health Survey (IHS) is the Irish version of the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS). This survey fulfils the need for public health policies to obtain reliable data on health status, health care usage and health determinants. It allows for health comparisons to be made across Europe. The statistical population is all individuals aged 15 years or older in the state with a total of 10,323 respondents. The principal variables are the Minimum European Health Module (MEHM), which is comprised of general self-perceived health, self-reported longstanding illnesses and longstanding health problems, and self-reported long-standing limitations in activities people usually do because of health problems.