There are fears of further delays to the roll-out of free GP care to children under eight, after it emerged that negotiations have not yet started with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO).
Under a commitment made in Budget 2020, free GP care was due to be extended to children aged between six and eight from September 2020.
But the Oireachtas Committee on Health has heard that talks have not even started.
David Noonan, who is Principal Officer in charge of GP services at the Department of Health, said it has been "busy engaging with the IMO for the past year on Covid-related matters," and that "the negotiations with the IMO have not begun yet in relation to this specifically."
He was responding to questions from Sinn Féin's Health spokesperson David Cullinane who said this was "unacceptable."
He said: "Legislation was passed in this area, Government representatives were out saying this was great news, as it was, claiming credit for it.
"We all passed it in the Oireachtas and we want it progressed. The negotiations should have commenced, simple as," he said.
Deputy Cullinane has proposed that the committee write to the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly on the matter.
