Dr. John Farrell:

Tragically, I was in practice 40 years ago, but I cannot remember the number. We have more people now but there has been an increase in the population. To my knowledge – I stand to be corrected on this – there has not been any great increase in the number of GPs holding GMS contracts over the past ten or 15 years. The number has been fairly steady, at around 2,500. There has not been an increase in the number of GPs practising in the country over the past ten or 15 years, for sure. While care has become more complex and the population has increased, these have not been matched with an increase in GP numbers.