Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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519. To ask the Minister for Health to outline the reason medical card holders are charged by their general practitioner each time they receive Faslodex 250 mg injections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44726/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Under the terms of the current GMS contract, GPs are required to provide eligible patients with ''all proper and necessary treatment of a kind usually undertaken by a general practitioner and not requiring special skill or experience of a degree or kind which general practitioners cannot reasonably be expected to possess."

The HSE has advised that the GMS contract would comprehend the administration of Faslodex and other similar injections.

If a patient who holds a medical card or GP visit card believes he or she has been incorrectly charged for services provided by his or her GP, then that patient should report the matter to their HSE Local Health Office.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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520. To ask the Minister for Health to outline his plans to ensure that the completion of the driver licence eyesight report form by a medical practitioner is a free service for medical card holders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44727/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The GMS contract stipulates that fees for medical and visit card holders are not paid to GPs in respect of certain medical certificates which may be required, for example, "under the Social Welfare Acts or for the purposes of insurance or assurance policies or for the issue of driving licences".

Any fees charged by GPs for services provided outside the terms of the GMS contract are a matter of private contract between the GP and their patients.

There are no plans at present to include the completion of forms required for driving licence applications as a service to be provided to GMS patients under the GMS or GP Visit Card scheme.