GP Care For All funding
Róisín Shortall raised urgent concerns about GP Care For All and the future of a Summerhill primary care service affected by tax changes. The Taoiseach said he knew the service and Dr. Austin O'Carroll, promised to speak to the relevant Ministers, and would come back to her.
I welcome to the Gallery a group of women from the Inner City Organisations Network. I am raising an issue that will be of relevance to them and many other people and about which I gave notice to the Taoiseach earlier. A charity, GP Care For All, which was established by a Dr. Austin O'Carroll, is in real difficulty because of changes that were made to the taxation of GP income. I am asking the Taoiseach to give urgent attention to this matter.
A wonderful GP service has been provided in Summerhill Primary Care Centre since 2016. It is a very important service, and a similar one is about to be opened in west Finglas where there is no GP at present. What I want to bring to the attention of the Taoiseach is that, further to tax changes made last January, the business model for this type of charitable GP service is rendered non-viable. What is needed urgently is that the transitional arrangements that previously existed should be reinstated in respect of GP charities such as this until such time as the relevant legislation can be amended. I appeal to the Taoiseach very strongly that we cannot afford to lose this vital service in Summerhill. We desperately need the promised new service in Finglas.
