Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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282. To ask the Minister for Health when he will commence the Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Act 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22878/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Bill 2020 was enacted on 2nd August 2020. This Act provides for the necessary legislative amendments to the Health Act 1970 (as amended) to increase the weekly gross medical card income limits for those aged 70 and over to €550 per week for a single person (currently €500 per week) and to €1050 per week for a couple (currently €900 per week). The Government is finalising decisions on the associated funding for this measure and the implementation date for the commencement of this provision.

The Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Act 2020 also provides for the phased expansion of GP care without fees to all children aged 12 years and under. The initial stage of this phased expansion will be the provision of GP care without fees to all children aged between 6 and 8.

The Government is committed to increasing access to GP care without charges for children, an important healthcare measure that will remove a potentially prohibitive cost barrier to accessing GP care and will help to improve children’s health as they develop.

The appropriate date for commencing the expansion remains under consideration in light of COVID-19 and the additional pressures the expansion might place on general practice in that context and in anticipation of the usual increase in demand for healthcare services over the winter period. This date will be determined in consultation with the IMO. It is important to ensure that any additional pressures placed on general practice will not limit its capacity to meet the needs of all patients in the community.