Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The negotiations with the Irish Medical Organisation have been completed. The Department and the HSE are reviewing the operation of the income assessment guidelines. Funding has been provided to allow the HSE to introduce 200,000 new GP visit cards. The issues that delayed this process, of which the House is well aware, were successfully clarified and finalised last week, on 29 September. There is now agreement on all of the issues. The HSE will continue to produce the cards. As the House knows, if we had issued the cards without finding industrial relations agreement——

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