Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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110. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated full year cost of providing an automatic entitlement to a general practitioner visit card for those in receipt of a full-time carer's payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16771/19]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Since 1st September 2018 all those in receipt of either a full or half-rate Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit are automatically eligible for a GP service free of charge.

The cost of this measure will be dependent on a number of factors, including the number of additional applications made to the HSE and the number of applicants who are found to be eligible. This figure will always be subject to fluctuation due to people's eligibility for Social Welfare payments changing over time. Funding of €4.7 million in respect of the measure has been included in the HSEs allocation for 2019.