Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentations. The report notes that in 2015 there were 21 GMS vacancies. Do witnesses have the figure for this year? Given that the report highlights that the benefits of the rural practice allowance remuneration wear off after approximately five years, how do they feel a deprivation allowance would best work? How can we best implement it in order that it has a long-lasting effect for GPs and that it works? With regard to GP retention in rural areas, I am interested in the suggestion that trainees are placed in rural GP practices. Are there examples of where this has worked? Would it improve the retention rate of GPs in these areas?

On the unequal access to diagnostics of patients in deprived areas, the witnesses referred to a lack of access to private services, but are other diagnostics generally not available in these areas? Will the witnesses expand on this? Is it the case that if patients cannot access public services they have to access services privately? What are the diagnostics that are not available in deprived areas?