Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

For the information of the House it is important for me to emphasise again that on three occasions in recent weeks I have extended an invitation to the IMO and to the doctors' representatives to meet me in this regard. On 27 February 2014, I wrote to the IMO and I wish to put details of that letter on the record of the House:

The Department and the HSE are fully prepared to engage meaningfully with the IMO. We are ready to meet with you, and we are prepared to negotiate with you on all aspects of the scope and content of the proposed contract. I should state, however, that the ultimate setting of fees must remain a matter for the Minister for Health, though there will be an opportunity for your input on this aspect, and on the fee structure, which it is proposed to address by means of a separate consultation process....

Accordingly, I am now formally inviting the IMO to meet with the Department and the HSE to commence the process, and to afford you an opportunity to elaborate on your submission of 21st February. My preference is that this meeting should take place during the week beginning 3rd March 2014 but a mutually agreeable date can be arranged if this week does not suit....

It seems to me that we can work together to seek a consensus on the many important matters of mutual concern, and it is my genuine wish that we should proceed in that spirit.

I repeated those sentiments on 26 March 2014 and I made it very clear that we wish to proceed by way of negotiation:

I am confident that we can make good progress in achieving our common goal of GP care free at the point of access and therefore again invite the IMO to commence negotiations with the Department and the HSE.