Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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24. To ask the Minister for Health her response to the ESRI report on future capacity requirements for GP services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34603/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The ESRI report on future GP capacity requirements provides a welcome contribution to our general practice workforce planning. The report shows that as our population grows and ages over the next 15 years, and as we continue to provide more services in the community, we need to continue to increase our general practice workforce to meet the resulting additional demand for general practice consultations.

Work is ongoing to increase the number of GPs practising throughout the country. In recent years significant additional investment has been provided to general practice under the 2019 and 2023 Agreements. This has provided for increase fees for GPs, increased practice supports, and the introduction of new services.

The number of new entrants to GP training has been increased by 80 percent over just five years from 2019 to 2024, with 350 places available from 2024. The total number of doctors undertaking GP training has grown as a result, as has the number of GP graduates which will continue to grow over next few years. In addition, 118 doctors are currently in practice here under the International Medical Graduate Rural GP programme, with 18 having completed the new 2-year programme.

While GPs are private practitioners, and as such determine the location they practice from, as well as their own staffing requirements, supports for practices in rural and urban deprived areas have been increased, as have supports for hiring practice staff.

The ongoing Strategic Review of General Practice, due to be completed this year, will also help our planning for general practice capacity and for the wider sustainability of GP services.