Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 204: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her plans to make a regulation to ensure that persons over 70 years of age with a medical card are not charged by general practitioners for a medical certificate which is necessary for the renewal of their driving licence, an issue where the general practitioners are charging as much as €50 for this certificate; if she will make a regulation to ensure that this charge will be covered by the medical card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10133/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The law provides that persons aged 70 years or more are required to undergo a medical review for driving licence renewal purposes. This requirement is one which is determined by the Minister for Transport and is therefore outside my remit. In making arrangements for the provision of publicly funded GP services under the General Medical Services (GMS) 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 GP medical and surgical services without charge to eligible persons; this includes persons aged 70 and over, who are automatically entitled to a medical card.

The contract stipulates that the fees paid to GMS GPs 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 the scope of the GMS GP contract, it is a matter between the GP and the person seeking the particular service to agree a fee. While certificates for various applications are provided by medical practitioners, they are not a medical treatment service and are not considered a core aspect of public health service provision.