James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 221: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the details of the reduction to professional fees to health sector groups, including when the reduction applied; the category of professions affected; the numbers of professionals in each category; the reduction applied in each category; the savings made within each category. [31405/10]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 222: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she is considering further cuts to professional fees to health sector groups; the amount expected to be saved from further cuts; when these cuts will apply; if consultation will take place; if any category of professional will be excluded from the fees reduction; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31406/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 221 and 222 together.

In 2009 I made a number of regulations under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009 to reduce the fees and allowances payable to certain health professionals. These comprise general practitioners, pharmacists, dentists, ophthalmologists, optometrists and dispensing opticians who hold contracts with the HSE, persons providing smear taking services as part of the National Cervical Screening Programme and consultant psychiatrists who participate in the Mental Health Tribunal process.

In the case of pharmacists, there was a reduction in the wholesale mark-up from 17.66% to 10% and a reduction in the retail mark-up from 50% to 20% paid on medicines supplied under the GMS and community drugs schemes. Full details of the revised payments are provided in the Health Professionals (Reduction of Payments to Community Pharmacy Contractors) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 246 of 2009). The revised payments to community pharmacy contractors came into effect on the 1 July 2009. It is estimated that savings in the region of €60 million were achieved from the reductions in payments to community pharmacy contractors during 2009; full year savings are estimated at €120 million.

Payments to registered dentists under the Dental Treatment Services Scheme were reduced with effect from 1 May 2009. The reductions in these fees resulted in estimated savings of €1.7 million in 2009. The full year saving is estimated at €2.1m. Full details of the revised payments are provided in the Health Professionals (Reduction of Payments to Registered Dentists) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 171 of 2009).

Fees and allowances paid to general practitioners in respect of medical card and GP visit card holders, the Mother and Infant Care Scheme and the Primary Childhood Immunisation Scheme were reduced with effect from 7 July 2009. Full details of the revised payments are provided in the Health Professionals (Reduction of Payments to General Practitioners) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 262 of 2009). It is estimated that savings in the region of €16 million were achieved during 2009; full year savings are estimated at €34m.

The fees payable to clinicians and certain clinics as smeartakers under CervicalCheck, the national cervical screening programme, were reduced by 8%, with effect from 1st May 2009. It is estimated that the reduction in fees has resulted in savings of €630,000 in 2009 and €1.4m in a full year. Full details of the changes in payments are available in the Health Professionals (Reduction of Payments in respect of services under the National Cervical Screening Programme) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 173/2009).

Under the terms of the Health Professionals (Reduction of Payments to Ophthalmologists, Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 195/2009) the professional fees payable to opthalmologists, optometrists and dispensing opticians, in respect of services provided under the HSE Optometric Schemes, were reduced by 8% with effect from 18th May 2009. This reduction resulted in a saving of around €440,000 in 2009 and an estimated annual saving of €1.320 million.

The Health Professionals (Reduction of Payments to Consultant Psychiatrists) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 172/2009) provided for an 8% reduction in the fees paid to consultant psychiatrists for mental health tribunal work with effect from 1st May 2009. The estimated saving in 2009 was €185,000 and the estimated full-year savings from this measure is €278,000. Approximately 2700 general practitioners, 1,640 community pharmacy contractors, 1,630 dentists and 530 optometrists hold contracts with the HSE. In addition, there are 2,069 contracted smeartakers. Approximately 75 consultant psychiatrists participate in the Mental Health Tribunal process.

As required by the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009, I have reviewed the operation, effectiveness and impact of the revised fees and allowances. Following these reviews, I have decided to make no change in the fees payable to pharmacists and to examine the scope for further reductions in the fees payable to general practitioners, dentists and optometrists who hold contracts with the HSE, smeartakers contracted under the CervicalCheck programme and consultant psychiatrists who hold contracts with the Mental Health Commission. I have invited interested parties to provide written submissions to assist in my deliberations on these matters.