Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 123: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to a recent NCCRI report which states that some general practitioners activity discourage patients from minority ethnic grounds, in particular Travellers and asylum seekers, from attending their surgeries; her views on this report; the steps she is taking to eliminate this problem; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12772/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The report of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism, NCCRI, referred to in the Deputy's question has not been formally presented to my Department. I understand it was to be launched yesterday, 29 March 2006, at a conference in Belfast. I understand that the report states that most general practitioners are inclusive in their approach, while noting that the NCCRI has anecdotal evidence that some GPs actively discourage patients from minorities, in particular Travellers and asylum seekers, from attending their surgeries.

Publicly funded GP services are provided without charge to eligible patients under the general medical services, GMS, scheme. Under the GMS scheme a general practitioner will hold a contract with the Health Service Executive to provide services to those medical card and GP visit card patients who have been assigned to that doctor's patient panel. The terms of the GMS GP contract were agreed by my Department and the Irish Medical Organisation, which represents contracting GPs. A GMS GP is required, under the terms of his or her contract, to provide services to public patients on the same basis as to private patients. Furthermore, the contract provides that in instances where eligible persons experience difficulty securing the services of a GMS GP, the HSE may assign those persons to a contracted GP in the area.

My Department, the Health Service Executive and the IMO have worked together on the issue of the provision of general practitioner services to asylum seekers and non-EU nationals. GMS GPs are paid an initial registration fee in respect of each person on their GMS patient panel who is an asylum seeker or non-EU national. In addition, the HSE makes available funding to assist GMS GPs in addressing the particular needs of GMS patients who are asylum seekers or non-EU nationals. In the past my Department has also provided funding to the Irish College of General Practitioners to develop resource material and to provide training workshops for GPs on delivering services to people from different ethnic backgrounds.