Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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738. To ask the Minister for Health the status of extending free general practitioner care to children under seven and under eight years of age. [22837/22]

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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758. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the proposal announced in budget 2022 to extend the automatic entitlement to free general practitioner visit cards to children under eight years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22967/22]

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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769. To ask the Minister for Health when the inclusion of children aged six and seven years of age in the general practitioner visit cards scheme will take place, which was announced in budget 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23124/22]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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771. To ask the Minister for Health when the scheme for free qualification for a general practitioner card will be extended to children under eight years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23128/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 701, 738, 758, 769 and 771 together.

My officials and the HSE are engaged in preparatory work for the commencement of the initial stage of the phased expansion of GP care without fees to all children aged 12 years and under, the provision of GP care without fees to all children aged 6 and 7. Consultations with the IMO, representing GPs, are currently underway with the intention of introducing this service this year.