Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 269: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the annual payment made to a general practitioner for treatment of a patient who has a medical card; if the payment is different in cases in which patients had a medical card prior to reaching 70 years of age. [38333/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Doctors holding contracts under the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme with the Health Service Executive (HSE) are remunerated on the basis of the composition of their patient panel and the annual capitation rates payable reflect the age, gender and location of the patient. A detailed list of the current capitation rates payable is set out in tabular form as follows:

A capitation rate of €640 per annum is currently paid to GPs for the provision of service under the GMS contract for each person who qualifies for a medical card for the first time, on the basis of being aged 70 years and over in the community. In respect of persons aged 70 years and over in the community who had at some time previously held a medical card, the GP is paid the aged 70 and over rate in the table appropriate to the person's gender and distance from the GP's surgery.

In respect of medical card holders, aged 70 years and over, who are resident in a private nursing home (approved by the HSE) for any continuous period of five weeks, the GP is currently paid a capitation rate of €927 per annum per card holder, irrespective of whether the person held a medical card prior to them reaching the age of 70, or not.

Following the recent budget decision to withdraw automatic entitlement to a medical card for persons aged 70 and over and to raise the means assessment threshold for persons in that age cohort, the Government appointed Mr. Eddie Sullivan to make recommendations on a new single annual capitation fee to be paid to general practitioners in respect of medical card holders aged 70 and over in the community, which would come into effect on 1st January 2009. Mr. Sullivan recommended a single capitation fee of €290. Mr. Sullivan's recommendations were accepted by Government last week.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 270: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of medical cards issued to over 70 year olds in each county per year in each of the past 10 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38334/08]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 271: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of medical card holders in County Mayo each year for the past ten years. [38335/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 270 and 271 together.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has the operational and funding responsibility for the medical card benefit. It collates medical card data by county, age and gender. Therefore, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to address this matter and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.