Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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2587. To ask the Minister for Health the means by which baby and infant vaccination services are typically administered; if parents are required to be registered with a local GP in order for their children to receive a vaccination; the options that exist for parents where a GP service is inaccessible or unavailable for whatever reason; if she will provide a list of such options with respect to the Dublin 15 area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46868/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The national immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The committee's recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation. It makes recommendations on vaccination policy to my Department. NIAC continues to revise recommendations to allow for the introduction of new vaccines in Ireland and to keep abreast of changes in the patterns of disease. It also considers emerging evidence and therefore the immunisation schedule will continue to be amended over time.

The Primary Childhood Immunisation Programme aims to protect children from 14 vaccine preventable diseases: Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (whooping cough), Hib (haemophilus influenzae b), Polio, Hepatitis B, Pneumonia, MenB (meningococcal B), Men C, Rotavirus, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Chickenpox. The programme comprises 5 GP visits (at 2, 4, 6, 12 and 13 months of age) with a target uptake rate of >=95%. Infants should receive their vaccinations on time, from a GP, or as soon as possible after they are due.

GPs are private practitioners. Under the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide GP services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. All children under 8 years of age, and all those aged 70 years or over, are eligible for a GP visit card.

Where a GMS patient experiences difficulty in finding a GP to accept them as a patient, the person concerned having unsuccessfully applied to at least three GPs in the area (or fewer if there are fewer GPs in the area) can apply to the HSE Eligibility Unit which has the power to assign a GMS patient to a GP's GMS panel in accordance with the GMS contract. Likewise, a parent on behalf of an eligible child experiencing difficulty in finding a GP that will accept their child as a patient, can apply to the HSE Eligibility Unit. More information on accessing a GP is available at www.hse.ie.