Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am aware of the clause. The other key features of the contract are hugely important. They will maintain choice of doctor policy and 24-7 out-of-hours service and provide for GP participation through the primary care team model and also provide for integrated multi-disciplinary primary care services. Again, this is a hugely important development to strengthen primary care and keep people out of hospitals and acute services where possible. The contract will also be more comprehensive than the existing GMS contract, which is, again, very welcome. It will cover prevention and health promotion as well as diagnosis and treatment. There is a range of other terms and conditions. Somebody said it was a 40-page contract. It proposes a defined contract duration of five years with extension for further periods of five years. There is a great deal in it and there is ongoing discussion and consultation with the doctors' representatives. We can certainly ask the Minister of State to come to the House to brief us or debate with us developments in primary care. I understand he did so relatively recently and I am sure he would be happy to do so again.

Senator Healy Eames spoke about the GSOC issue and raised a separate issue regarding the projected sale of IBRC mortgages. I gave a very full answer on that question yesterday, which was raised by a number of people who had very real concerns about the 13,000 persons who could be affected by this - concerns I share. As I explained yesterday, the sale has not yet been made. NAMA is one of the bodies to whom the business may be sold. It is expected that the code of conduct will be adhered to by whoever buys it. I gave a full answer yesterday and the Senator can look at it on the record.

Senator Landy again raised the issue of wind energy and sought a debate on the future of wind energy. I will seek that as a matter of urgency and will pursue the Bill sponsored by Senator Kelly. Senator Quinn sought a debate on fracking. Perhaps a debate on the future of energy policy more generally would be appropriate so that we could encompass that because I take Senator Quinn's point that sometimes we come to these things with preconceived notions and it is useful to have a fuller debate on issues like fracking and wind energy. Senator Quinn also spoke about generic drugs and the difficulty with the seeming delay in the implementation of that new legislation in pharmacies.

Senator Mullins spoke about wind energy and banking and welcomed the retrofitting of local authority homes, which we all very much welcome. Senator Cullinane sought a debate on energy policy and pylons. We had a debate quite recently with the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources on pylons. I understand it was just before Christmas.

Senator Keane very helpfully spoke about the hearing of the Oireachtas Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government yesterday. She also raised the issue of Bitcoins and the new developments in the US. It is of huge interest. I attended a conference on white-collar crime recently where senior Europol figures and gardaí expressed real concern about the potential for criminality, for example, the silk road and the use of Bitcoins to assist in white-collar crime and organised crime generally. It is interesting to see that the US has gone down the road of regulation rather than simply seeing Bitcoin as something to be rejected out of hand as a way of pursuing criminality. I agree with Senator Keane that we need to look at taking a similar approach to that in the US and to look at how we regulate the use of Bitcoin.