Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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146. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to prevent young general practitioners from emigrating or changing profession; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37520/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The GP plays a central role in the health service and, in most cases, he/she is the first medical practitioner whose advice a patient seeks. The majority of GPs in Ireland are private contractors who provide services to the public health system under the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme. As of 30 April 2014, 2,416 GPs were contracted to provide services under the GMS Scheme. GP co-operatives also provide out-of-hours services to circa90% of the population.

The recruitment and retention of doctors, including GPs, in the public health system is a priority for me as Minister for Health. That is why I am committed to the implementation of the recommendations of the Strategic Review of Medical Training and Career Structure completed earlier this year.

In July 2013, a Working Group, chaired by Professor Brian MacCraith, President of DCU, was established to carry out the Strategic Review. The Working Group was tasked with examining and making high-level recommendations relating to training and career pathways for doctors with a view to:

- improving graduate retention in the public health system;

- planning for future service needs;

- and realising maximum benefit from investment in medical education and training.

In the course of its work, the Group considered issues including:

- the pathway for training at every level from Intern to Specialist;

- mentoring practices and career planning supports for medical graduates;

- measures to improve the quality of the training experience;

- career structures for doctors on completion of training.

The Strategic Review reports address a range of barriers and issues relating to the recruitment and retention of doctors in the Irish public health service, including general practice, and offer solutions and recommendations that will enable us to build a sustainable medical workforce for the future.