John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 562: To ask the Minister for Health his plans to develop and improve the rural practice grant for general practitioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37637/11]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Under the General Medical Services (GMS) Contract, GPs are eligible for a Rural Practice Allowance when he / she lives and practises in an area with a population of less than 500, where there is not a town with a population of 1,500 or more within a three mile radius of that centre and where the HSE considers it necessary to pay an allowance to retain a doctor in the area. The current annual rural practice allowance is €17,530.89 and there are over 190 GPs in receipt of the allowance.

Under the Programme for Government, it is intended to develop a new contractual framework for GPs which will be more suited to current needs and will facilitate the planned development of Primary Care Services. Mechanisms for encouraging GPs to set up practices in rural and urban disadvantaged areas will be considered, as appropriate, in the context of this review of the GMS GP Contract.