692. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Health his views on expanding the medical card or GP visit card schemes to cover the issuing of medical certificates for absence from work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36334/24]

The HSE reimburses GPs for services provided under the GMS contract to medical and GP visit card holders. Under the terms of the current GMS contract, GPs are required to provide eligible patients with ''all proper and necessary treatment of a kind usually undertaken by a general practitioner...". The terms of the GMS contract provide that a GP shall furnish to a patient they’ve examined a certificate in relation to any illness noticed during the examination as reasonably required by the patient.

However, Section 11 of the GMS contract stipulates that fees in respect of certain medical certificates which may be required, for example, "under the Social Welfare Acts or for the purposes of insurance or assurance policies or for the issue of driving licences" are not covered by the contract.

The requirements to claim Illness Benefit, including the necessary submission of a ‘Certificate of Incapacity for Work’, are a matter for the Department of Social Protection and separate from the GP's obligations under the GMS contract.