Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 July 2023
709. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to outline if the Houses of the Oireachtas legislated to deliver free GP care for all children up to 12 years of age; if this is still a commitment from Government; to further outline a timetable to deliver on this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35051/23]
View answerThe Government remains committed to the delivery of GP care without charges for all children up to the age of 12 years. The Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Act 2020 provides, amongst other things, for the expansion of GP care without charges to all children aged 12 years and under in three phases: for children aged 6 and 7 (Section 4 of the Act); for children aged 8 and 9 (Section 5 of the Act); and for children aged 10, 11, and 12 (Section 6 of the Act). Section 7 of the Act sets out the relevant commencement arrangements.
As announced last week, agreement has been reached with the IMO to allow the extension of eligibility for GP visit cards to all children aged 6 & 7 and to people who earn up to the median household income. The extension of GP Visit Cards to children aged 6 & 7 will commence on 11 August.
Furthermore, the extension of cards to those who earn the median household income or less will commence on 11 September, and will be completed in two phases with the second phase commencing on 13 November. It is worth noting that this expansion will provide care for approximately 27,000 additional children aged 8 to 12 years.
