Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I apologise on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, who is unable to be in the House to take this matter and he has asked me to do so on his behalf.

The general practice at Ballinagh health centre has a substantial number of general medical service clients. Currently, there is only one GMS GP within the practice as one GP resigned recently on health grounds and another GP has been on long-term leave. The suspension of GP services in Ballinagh health centre is a short-term measure pending the sourcing of the services of a locum.

The EU-IMF programme provides for the introduction of legislative changes to remove restrictions to trade and competition in sheltered sectors by the end of the third quarter of 2011. This includes eliminating restrictions on GPs wishing to treat public patients. The Department of Health is preparing proposals for consideration by the Government in relation to this commitment. The Government is committed to establishing a strong system of primary care in Ireland. The appointment of a dedicated Minister of State with responsibility for primary care is a clear indication of our intentions in this regard.

The development of primary care teams and primary care centres is a priority under the programme for Government. This will significantly increase health and social care in local communities which will be achieved by redirecting services away from acute hospitals. Modern, well-equipped primary care centres will be central to the effective functioning of primary care teams. The centres will allow multi-disciplinary services provided by GPs, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others, to be made available on a single site, providing a single point of access for the user, and will encourage closer co-ordination between providers. The new centres will greatly assist in the provision of modern services, particularly the provision of chronic disease management by multi-disciplinary teams.

There are significant variations across primary care teams in terms of their stage of development and the number of clinical team meetings held, the number of patients discussed and the number of patient care plans agreed. It is a key priority for this Government that all teams are fully functional. The HSE has been asked to make significant progress on this issue over the next 12 months.