Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 30: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if school children are required to have a sick certificate if they are off school; if this requirement has meant more work for general practitioners; if this is quantifiable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11996/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Policy in relation to school attendance, including consideration of requirements when a child is absent due to illness, is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science.

General Practitioners are private medical practitioners in their own right. The State contracts with GPs for the provision of services under a number of Schemes, the most significant of which is the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme. Neither the Health Service Executive nor my Department collects information which would enable the impact of schools' certification requirements on doctors' workload to be assessed.