GPs criticised the budgetary announcements around an increase in the number of GP visit cards, saying that this will result in more visits from the members of a certain cohort. I am not a doctor, but the Tánaiste is. There is a large cohort of people who never visit GPs during the year. By contrast, there is the treatment benefit scheme whereby people have annual access to dental, optical, aural and, I am told, non-surgical hair replacement treatment. Would there be a medical benefit to everybody seeing a doctor at least once a year? Would there be a medical benefit to primary students being able to see a dentist, if not once a year then every second year, because the waiting list is huge for the HSE screening service? It is the idea of early intervention, where we could detect what is wrong with people from a dental point of view or medically, through a GP visit, and treat them before it costs a lot more to do so, both in terms of money and human suffering.

I am not a dentist, so I cannot comment on the dental question. As a doctor, the jury is out on the idea of an annual checkup, quite frankly. Sometimes annual checkups pick up illnesses and abnormalities that would not be picked up until later. Sometimes early intervention can result in better outcomes, but it can also result in a large number of unnecessary investigations. The Deputy will know of people who have been for a health check and were sent off for any number of tests, all of which came back normal. Not only does that increase anxiety, it sometimes results in the waste or misuse of resources. That always has to be borne in mind. What we have agreed in the budget in an expansion of GP care without fees to more people. Government will be keen to engage with the Irish Medical Organisation on how we can realise that over the next couple of years.