Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 240: To ask the Minister for Health if he will outline the criteria used to determine eligibility by a GP for a GMS contract; if he will clarify his intentions regarding the recommendations of the Competition Authority in this area which suggest that all GPs should have access to a GMS contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19322/11]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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The General Medical Services (GMS) Capitation Contract between individual GPs and the HSE is based on an Agreement concluded between the Minister for Health and the Irish Medical Organisation in 1989. The entry terms to the scheme form part of the Agreement. There are three routes for entry for fully qualified and trained GPs: where a vacancy arises due to the retirement, resignation or death of an existing GMS doctor; where a new GMS panel is created in response to an identified need for an additional doctor in an area; or where a GMS doctor obtains approval from the HSE for the creation of an Assistant with a View to Partnership within his or her practice.

The HSE is required, before filling a vacant GMS panel or creating a new panel, to take account of the potential viability of the panel under a range of headings, including: the number of GMS patients on the panel and their age/gender profile; the number and age profile of the GMS doctors in the area, and their panel sizes; the private practice profile of the area, including the ratio of private to public patients; the population size in the area and surrounding areas; and the particular public health needs of the area in question.

The EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support provides for the introduction of legislation to remove restrictions on GPs wishing to treat public patients under the GMS Scheme. e Competition Authority report - Competition in Professional Services - General Medical Practitioners (2010) also included a recommendation regarding the elimination of such restrictions.

The Government recently agreed to the preparation of Heads of a Bill which will eliminate current restrictions on fully qualified and trained GPs wishing to obtain contracts to treat public patients under the GMS contract and empowered the Minister for Health to set entry terms based on public health and public interest considerations.

This proposed legislation will result in medical card and GP visit card patients having a greater choice of GPs under the GMS Scheme. It will also help to ensure that private patients of new GP contract holders, who qualify for a medical card or GP visit card, will not have to change their GP. I hope to be in a position to make an announcement in the near future as to how this will be implemented.