Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the estimated cost of introducing free general practitioner visits for all children aged six years and under; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9951/13]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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No exercise has been undertaken to estimate the cost to introduce free General Practitioner care to children aged 6 years and under.

The Programme for Government commits to reforming the current public health system by introducing Universal Health Insurance with equal access to care for all. As part of this, the Government is committed to introducing, on a phased basis, GP care without fees within its first term of office. The first phase of this process is the extension of access to GP services without fees to persons with prescribed illnesses. This legislation is currently being drafted by the Office of the Attorney General and the Department and it will be published shortly. Implementation dates and application details will be announced in due course.