David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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630. To ask the Minister for Health the cost of increasing additional funding to rural GPs by 10%. [28724/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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GPs are private practitioners, most of whom hold a GMS contract with the HSE for the provision of GP services to medical card and GP visit card holders. In rural areas, due to lower and more sparse populations, there is a greater dependence on small and single-handed practices. Under the GMS scheme, the Rural Practice Support Framework provides an additional support to eligible GP practices in rural areas. These rural practice grants were increased by 10% under the 2019 GP Agreement. In addition, practices in receipt of rural practice grants attract the maximum allowable rates for practice staff support subsidies and locum contributions for leave taking.

As per the HSE Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) information portal, funding provided through GMS rural practice grants to eligible practices amounted to approximately €4.9 million last year. Accordingly, based on this figure, increasing the GMS rural practice grants by 10% would cost approximately €0.49 million.

Specific fees are also in place for rural dispensing doctors (where there is no pharmacy in the area), these were increased by 28% under the 2019 Agreement. The reported cost of dispensing fees for 2024 was almost €0.5 million. Accordingly, based on this figure, increasing the GMS dispensing fee rates by 10% would cost approximately €50,000.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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631. To ask the Minister for Health the cost of increasing staffing subsidies to GPs by 10%. [28725/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Under the GMS scheme, GPs are paid a subsidy towards the cost of employing a practice nurse and/or a practice secretary. The rate payable depends on the GP's GMS panel size and the level of experience of the nurse or secretary. A practice manager subsidy is also available.

The rate of these subsidies was increased under the 2023 GP Agreement, and the General Practice Assistant staff grade was added to the available staff subsidies. The Agreement also introduced a new support grant for additional staff capacity, up to a maximum of €15,000, as well as a staff support for the taking of maternity leave.

As per the PCRS online portal, funding for practice staff supports under the GMS scheme amounted to approximately €141 million in 2024. Based on this figure, the estimated cost of increasing GMS practice staff supports by 10 percent is approximately €14.1 million.