James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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1265. To ask the Minister for Health the efforts his Department have made to recruit new general practitioners with particular focus on rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25494/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to ensuring that patients throughout the country continue to have access to GP services, especially in remote rural areas and also in certain disadvantaged urban areas, and that general practice is sustainable in such areas into the future. It is imperative that existing GP services in these areas are retained and that general practice remains an attractive career option for newly-qualified GPs.

I am cognisant of the need for a new GP services contract which will help modernise our health service and develop a strengthened primary care sector, and health service management have already progress a number of significant measures through engagement with GP representatives. The GP contracts review process will, inter alia, seek to introduce further measures aimed at making general practice an attractive, fulfilling and rewarding career option into the future.

Progress to date includes:

- Changes to the entry provisions to the GMS scheme to accommodate flexible/shared GMS/GP contracts, and to the retirement provisions for GPs under the GMS scheme, allowing GPs to hold GMS contracts until their 72 birthday.

- An enhanced supports package for rural GP practices has been introduced in 2016 and includes a change in the qualifying criteria for rural supports and an increase in the financial allowance from €16,216 to €20,000. The number of GPs benefitting from such rural practice supports has increased from 167 to around 300.

- The annual number of GP training places has increased from 157 to 172 as of July 2016.

I anticipate that further measures will be tabled for discussion by the parties to the next phase of engagement on the GP contract review, which I expect to progress with GP representatives and other stakeholders over the coming period.