Since October 2020 I have had a lot of dealings with the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and with the HSE around the appointment of locums and the need for the appointment of a permanent GP in Swanlinbar, County Cavan. I have been highlighting the need for the locum GP to have a five-day per week contract instead of the existing four-day service. From speaking to local residents and from the people in the wider Swanlinbar catchment area I know they are adamant and very anxious to have a five-day GP service. Their strong message, which I fully support, is for a locum five-day GP service pending the appointment of a permanent GP. That GP appointment also needs to be a five-day service in Swanlinbar. For many decades GPs and their support staff in Ballyconnell, Blacklion and Swanlinbar have worked extremely hard to provide a good health service to that large and very rural Border region with its own particular challenges. That configuration, including a five-day GP service in Swanlinbar, must continue to ensure adequate and fair access to healthcare for local residents in that very rural Border region.

I thank Deputy Smith for raising this issue. The Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, is aware of the specific issue the Deputy has raised. The Department and the HSE are very anxious to make progress there and ensure access to a GP service is made available to the local community. As the Deputy is aware more broadly a strategic review of general practice is under way at the moment, which is looking at issues affecting general practice. The Minister for Health is expecting a report on that issue. In the budget of 2023 we provided €30 million for additional capacity-related supports for GPs in the context of the expansion of services and eligibility for GP visit cards. The Minister will come back to the Deputy on the specific issue and the location that he has identified. We are, thankfully, seeing significant progress now on the number of those seeking to train in Ireland and practise in Ireland as a GP.