I want to raise the issue of GP shortages in County Laois. The population of Laois has risen sharply over the past decade but primary care services have not kept pace. I acknowledge the tremendous work of local GPs. They are the backbone of community healthcare. However, the reality is the HSE can assign a GP to a medical card and GP visit card holder, but there are no GPs in the Portlaoise area with capacity and private patients are being left without access to a full-time GP. This is not sustainable for a growing county like Laois. What supports are being put in place to ensure that newly qualified GPs can establish in general practice, especially in counties in which need is acute? The Taoiseach knows that we in County Laois have a quota of houses to build over the next seven years, and rightly so. In Portlaoise alone, that number is 5,000 houses. I ask the Taoiseach to come up with some plan.

I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important issue. General practice is one of the cornerstones of our health service. Forty-three percent of the population now has access to free GP care and Government investment has significantly increased. We spend in excess of €1 billion annually on general practice to support patients. There is a strategic review of general practice under way. The Minister for higher education has increased the places for medicine training to have more output and throughput of GPs through the colleges. We will await the strategic review. We increased funding substantially in terms of the 2019 GP agreement and a further €130 million investment under the 2023 GP agreement. We are making it more attractive. On training and recruitment in particular, there were 350 places in 2024 and 2025. That was an increase of two thirds since 2020. Getting those numbers through the colleges is going to be key.