Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome my new colleague in the Department of Health, the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, who I know will bring vigour and energy to his areas of responsibility.

I do not think there is anything wrong with my answer, because GPs and patients have been waiting for at least three decades for a new GP contract. Within weeks of coming into office, I began the process of engagement to put one in place. We have a situation whereby those negotiations are already under way. A process has been put in place for further engagement with GP representatives. Meetings with the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, are held on a fortnightly basis, with some further meetings at an official level to discuss technical issues or, indeed, at a clinical level. There have also been consultative meetings with the National Association of General Practitioners, NAGP, and, as I have said, I expect a situation where we will see substantive progress made by the end of the year with regard to delivering a new, modern, fit for purpose GP contract. I am strongly of the view, as I think are GPs, that this should not be a static document. We should not do what all of us have done in the past, putting one static contract in place.

We should modernise the contract and then keep the engagement ongoing.

In relation to Sláintecare, a substantial body of work on which I am looking forward to having a debate in the House tomorrow, it is likely that legislatively changes will be necessary for any substantial extension of GP care without fees to further cohorts of the population. It is clear that GP capacity must be addressed as well. I look forward to expanding further on those matters in the conversations tomorrow and in the contractual negotiations.

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