Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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521. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of providing free general practitioner care to all children under 18 years of age; the status of the current roll-out programme; the amount of additional funding that was provided to his Department to commence the extension to those aged 6 to 8 years in 2022; when this measure will come into effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38343/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Funding for the expansion of GP care without charges to all children aged 6 and 7 was provided for by Budget 2022 within a €45 million package of affordability measures, which also included initiatives in relation to oral health, the reduction in the threshold for the Drug Payment Scheme, and the reduction in hospital charges for children.

Due to the wide range of payments and variables that must be accounted for, and the requirement to determine the scope of services to be provided to newly eligible cohorts in consultation with the IMO, along with discussions on the fees payable for such services, it is not possible to definitively calculate the cost of expanding GP care without charges to further cohorts.