Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will seek, on Report Stage, to incorporate some measure to deal with the misgivings I have, which were echoed to some degree by the Minister of State. Choice is to be provided by the new graduates. I wish more than 114 doctors had joined the 2,400 doctors on the General Medical Services scheme because we hear stories about the emigration of young doctors. To take the Minister of State's example where a doctor X has 2,000 patients, surely another doctor would be available in such circumstances. The Minister of State referred to a choice and I am keen to preserve the principle of choice. The list showing that some general practitioners earn ¤500,000 or ¤700,000 per annum from the GMS scheme also indicates that some of the doctors in question employ two or three doctors. Why can these doctors not engage with patients in their own right? I am worried the Department is using the phrase "insofar as practicable" as a means of reneging on a commitment because that is, unfortunately, a tradition in the Department. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court referred to a Department which sought to usurp the function of the Oireachtas. Choice is not expensive to provide in this case and it should be available. If a list is full, let us find another doctor. I will consider over the weekend whether I will be able to draft a Report Stage amendment to address this matter.