Government Ministers have backed embattled Health Minister James Reilly after Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin called on him to resign.

Mr Martin said Dr Reilly was not in control of his Department and that he had questions to answer in relation to the discretionary medical cards controversy and the HSE's budget.

Mr Martin claimed the figures produced in the budget for running the health services next year had been shown to be dishonest and the Minister should be removed from office.

However, Justice Minister Alan Shatter and Minister of State at the Department of Finance Brian Hayes both defended Dr Reilly.

Mr Shatter said: "The Fianna Fáil leader inhabits a fantasy world in which his 14 years as a senior Government Minister never occurred".

Dr Reilly is coming under increasing pressure following the Budget savings measures announced for the health service, and for the fact that the health budget is to be jointly monitored in future by the Departments of the Taoiseach and Public Expenditure along with the Department of Health.

However, according to RTE News, a spokesman for Dr Reilly said it was the Health Minister who asked that the three departments should monitor health service savings.

Meanwhile, Minister of State at the Department of Health Kathleen Lynch says she does not believe free GP care will be made available beyond the newly-announced scheme for under-fives in the lifetime of the Government.

She told RTE that if the Government was re-elected, the scheme would be extended in a second term.

However, junior health minister Alex White insisted the commitment was to implement free GP care for the whole population within the current term of office of the Government.

The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) has indicated that doctors may not agree to operate a free GP care scheme for children aged five years and under. The NAGP has warned that any individual doctor can decide to take up or not take up a new contract.

However, collective action by GPs to refuse to operate the under fives scheme is thought to be unlikely at this stage.

The doctors' union, the IMO, while criticising the under fives scheme, has so far stopped short of calling on GPs to boycott it.

Such action could fall foul of the Competition Authority, which earlier this year warned the IMO that its threat at the time to withdraw GPs from primary care teams and other initiatives was a breach of competition law. The IMO subsequently withdrew its notice of withdrawal.

The issue ofr whether GPs can take collective action in relation to their terms and conditions of service is due to be decided on in the High Court early in the new year.