Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 136: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on the fact that while old age pensioners can get free driving licences, they have to pay €35 for a doctors certificate sometimes on a yearly basis, even though they have a medical card; the steps she will take to rectify this anomaly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23702/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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In making arrangements for the provision of publicly funded GP services, under the General Medical Services Scheme, an agreement was negotiated between the Department of Health and Children and the GP representative body, the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO). The provisions of this agreement took the form of the current GMS GP Capitation Contract. This contract is a treatment based contract and gives effect to the statutory requirement to provide free GP medical and surgical services to eligible people which includes people aged 70 and over who are automatically entitled to a medical card. The contract stipulates that the fees paid to the GMS GP's are not made in respect of certain certificates which may be required for example 'under the Social Welfare Acts or for the purposes of insurance or assurance policies or for the issue of driving licences'. As these non-treatment type services are outside of the GMS GP contract it is a matter between the GP and the person seeking the particular services to agree a fee.

While certificates for applications are provided by medical practitioners they are not a medical service and are not considered a core aspect of public health service provision. Requiring such services to be provided within the terms of the GMS GP contract would more than likely lead to a costly counterclaim by GPs which if allowed would not represent appropriate or best use of resources in terms of current health policy.