Most people would be prepared to pay a small fee to visit their GP as part of a universal GP care system, according to our latest readers' poll.

The Government is planning to introduce a 'free' GP care schemne at the point of access for the entire population in the coming years, starting with free GP care for the under sixes and over 70s.

However, Health Minister Leo Varadkar has suggested that that as part of this scheme, some people may be asked to pay a small fee per visit to their GP to prevent potential over-visiting . The fee would operate in the same way as the controversial prescription chartge, which is currently €2.50 per item.

While this fee is apaprently in place to prevent abuses of the medical card system, it also acts as a considerable revenue source for the Government, generating €120 million a year.

We asked readers whether they would be willing to pay a small fee per visit under a universal GP care system.

Fifty four per cent said yes, 40% said no, while, six per cent were unsure.

View the poll results and comments, and results of previous polls here.