Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I know the area well and I happen to know the various parties as well. This is the local village where I grew up. This is not a question of Irish law, it concerns an EU directive. If I broke the rules and overruled EU directives, which I am not empowered to do, Deputy Gogarty and his colleagues would be the first to criticise me.

One of the Health Service Executive's functions is to make contractual arrangements with general practitioners to provide services under the GMS medical card scheme. Since 1995, entry to the GMS scheme for general practitioners has been carried out through open competition and interview, following the advertisement of posts in national and medical newspapers. All suitably qualified persons may apply for these positions.

Applicants for GMS GP contracts must satisfy the provisions of EU Directive 93/16/EEC, which stipulates the requirement in respect of vocational training for persons seeking to be considered for such posts throughout the European Union. In accordance with that directive, the arrangements for the recruitment of general practitioners have operated well for over ten years.

The qualifying criteria are well known to all doctors who wish to secure a contract within the QMS scheme. Many who do not comply go through the training in order to comply. The arrangements have ensured that a large number of well qualified, highly competent contractors provide modern, comprehensive and high quality services to public patients at primary care level.

The Health Service Executive has advised that the general practitioner providing services to medical card and GP visit card holders in Newcastle resigned in November 2005. While the process to fill the this vacancy was being conducted, a doctor from the area, who had been acting in the capacity of a private assistant to the recently retired GP, was contracted by the HSE in a locum capacity to provide services to the medical card and GP visit card patients. This was clearly an interim arrangement until the permanent post was filled and would have been understood to be so.

The HSE advises that five doctors applied for the post in Newcastle initially but that only one doctor actually attended for interview. The HSE has now completed the recruitment process and, with effect from 1 November 2006, the panel of medical card and GP visit card holders will be assigned to the successful candidate who will provide a GP service at both Rathcoole and Newcastle.

The arrangements to be implemented in Newcastle will bring significant improvements in services to the people of the area. The new doctor will provide clinics from an existing practice initially and within a short period intends establishing a new practice premises near the village centre. He intends to provide a full range of care, including special chronic care clinics, and he will be assisted by a female general practitioner.

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