Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

Practices in receipt of the rural supports receive the maximum rate of practice staff subsidies, significantly reducing possible staff costs for smaller practices. They also receive the maximum rate of locum support for leave-taking. A new locum support initiative commenced in May, providing GPs in receipt of rural practice supports with access to a streamlined locum-sourcing service. The annual intake to the GP training scheme increased by approximately 80% from 2019 to 2024, with 350 new entrant training places made available from 2024. Three hundred and forty-six new entrants commenced training last year, representing a 21% increase on the previous year’s intake, 286. We will continue to build on that. Recruitment of GPs from abroad commenced in 2023 under a joint HSE-ICGP international medical graduate rural GP programme. One hundred and eighteen of those GPs are currently in practice and an additional 18 have completed the two-year course.

See this speech in context