Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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430. To ask the Minister for Health the details of the significant multi-annual investment in general practice which he announced in budget 2019; the specific funding to be provided in 2018 to general practitioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42079/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to engaging with the representatives of general practitioners on the development of a package of measures and reforms to modernise the 1989 GMS Contract.

Our goal is to develop a contractual framework that has a population health focus, providing in particular for health promotion, disease prevention and for the structured care of chronic conditions. This will enable general practitioners to better meet the needs of patients and will also promote general practice as a viable and rewarding career for both existing doctors and future medical graduates.

The Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 now allows the setting and varying of contractor payments on a non-emergency statutory basis. It is my intention to put in place a new multiannual approach to fees in return for service improvements and contractual reforms based upon health policy considerations and engagement with representative bodies.

Officials from the Department of Health and the HSE recently re-engaged with the IMO and set out the State's position in relation to reform of the GMS contract. Agreement on the delivery of service improvements and contractual reform has the potential to facilitate a substantial increase in the resourcing of general practice on a multiannual basis.

The Deputy will understand that it would not be appropriate at this stage of the process to discuss the proposed package of reform which has not yet been agreed.