Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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205. To ask the Minister for Health the initiatives she is putting in place to increase the number of GPs in County Laois; the timeline; the funding allocated for this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51531/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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GPs are self-employed practitioners and therefore may establish practices at a place of their own choosing. There is no prescribed ratio of GPs to patients, and the State does not regulate the number of GPs that can set up in a town or community.

Where a vacancy arises in a practice with a GMS contract, the HSE becomes actively involved in the recruitment process to find a replacement GP. As of August, there are no GMS vacancies in Co. Laois.

It is acknowledged that there is limited access to GP services in certain areas. Work is ongoing to increase the number of GPs practising in the State and thereby improve access to GP services for all patients across the country.

Significant increases in investment in general practice have been provided under the 2019 and 2023 GP Agreements. Under the 2019 GMS GP Agreement additional annual expenditure provided for general practice was increased by over €210m. This has provided for increased GP capitation fees, increased supports for practices and new fees for additional services such as the Chronic Disease Management (CDM) programme.

Additional annual expenditure provided for general practice was further increased by approximately €130 million under the 2023 GMS GP Agreement. The 2023 Agreement further increased GP capitation fees, increased the existing subsidy rates for practice staff, and introduced a grant support for additional staff capacity as well a practice staff maternity leave support. It also provided for the expansion of GP visit card eligibility in 2023 to all children under 8 years of age and all those who earn up to the median household income.

The annual intake of doctors into the GP training programme has been increased by approximately 80% from 2019 to 2024, with 350 new entrant training places made available in 2024 and again in 2025. As a result, the number of GP graduates has increased in recent years and will continue to increase in the coming years.

In addition, recruitment of GPs from abroad is ongoing under the International Medical Graduate (IMG) Rural GP Programme. As of the end of Q2 2025, 122 IMG GPs are placed in GP practices, and a further 23 have competed the programme.

Lastly, a Strategic Review of General Practice is underway. The review, with input from key stakeholders, is examining the broad range of issues affecting general practice including issues related to GP capacity and will consider possible mechanisms to attract more GPs to underserved areas. Following its completion, a final report will be presented to me outlining the findings of the review and setting out recommended actions for a more sustainable general practice.