Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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329. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of the extension of a general practitioner card to persons in receipt of domiciliary care allowance but that do not receive a carer's allowance or carer's benefit. [31735/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that since June 1st 2017, all children for whom a Domiciliary Care Allowance is paid automatically qualify for a medical card without assessment. 

Costs on the provision of a GP Visit Card to parents/guardians, for whom a Domiciliary Care Allowance payment is made on behalf of their child/children is not routinely available as this would require an extensive analysis of the HSE and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection datasets. 

The Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2018 is currently passing through the Oireachtas.  This Bill seeks to provide eligibility for a GP visit card to all persons in receipt of Carers Allowance or Carers Benefit.  There are currently no plans to extend this eligibility to other groups.