Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Provision of €10 million is made in the budget for 2016 for the roll-out of access to free GP care to those between the ages of six and 12. As the cost of the same service over a year is €39 million, does that reflect the Minister's anticipation that the engagement with the Irish Medical Organisation is unlikely to come to a conclusion before the last quarter of the coming year? The Minister decided earlier this year to extend access to medical cards to certain children on a medically-diagnosed basis. This will benefit children with cancer, for example. Is he considering an extension of that to include other areas of medical need? A few moments ago, he expressed his preference to look at children's needs on a medical basis rather than on the basis of their parents' income streams.