Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 October 2021
541. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if a new scheme will be considered as part of Budget 2022 to make a contribution towards or cover the costs of medical reports required for driving licences for persons over 70 years of age who have a GMS card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47718/21]
View answer599. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health his views on the fact that some doctors surgeries are charging for the over 70s doctors’ certificate report that is to be included in support of the free over 70s driving licence application. [47690/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 541 and 599 together.
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 and not requiring special skill or experience of a degree or kind which general practitioners cannot reasonably be expected to possess.". Persons who hold a medical card or a GP visit card are not subject to any co-payments or other charges in respect of such services including GP consultations.
The GMS contract stipulates that fees for medical and GP visit card holders are not paid to GPs 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". Any fees charged by GPs for services provided outside the terms of the GMS contract are a matter of private contract between the GP and their patients.
There are no plans at present to include the completion of medical reports required for driving licence applications as a service to be provided to GMS patients under the GMS or GP Visit Card scheme.
The requirements for the submission of a medical report from a registered medical practitioner with driving licence applications for certain categories of persons, including those aged 70 and over, is governed by the National Driver Licence Service and the Department of Transport.
