Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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821. To ask the Minister for Health when a commencement order will be signed facilitating the operation of the Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Act 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38148/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Section 2 of the Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Act 2020, which provides for increases to the gross income limits for medical card eligibility for persons aged 70 or older, came into operation on 1st November 2020.

Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the same act, which provide for the phased expansion of GP care without fees to all children aged 12 years and under, remain subject to commencement. Provided under section 4 of the act, 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 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.