Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is a fair point. My Department engages with the IMO on contractual matters. The IMO is a member of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. We have a framework agreement with it. Issues with FEMPI etc. would have been introduced as part of discussions with the broader union movement - I am not saying they were in any way agreed. There is a role for the NAGP to play in terms of being consulted and involved, but the negotiations are with the IMO.

I will not get into the medical politics of it because it makes the politics in which we are involved seem very tame at times. They are different organisations with perhaps different perspectives and rivalry. The IMO is the organisation with which my Department engages. I am happy to explore consultative roles for other organisations. The IMO has delivered on a number of occasions - for example, when we were negotiating the free repeat smear test. It also negotiated for its members on the contract for termination of pregnancy and the free GP-visit card for the under sixes. That is the current negotiating arrangement. The IMO has issued an update to its members. The organisation individual GPs decide to join is not a matter for me.