The Government is planning to provide free GP visits for all young children, as part of its revised plans for free GP care.

Health Minister James Reilly recently abandoned plans to extend free GP visits initially to people on the long-term illness scheme and to those requiring high tech medicines, due to legal difficulties.

The Government is planning to extend free GP care at the point of access to the entire population by around 2015.

It has recently been considering how GP care could be introduced other than, as previously planned, on the basis of a patient's illness status, as it said this ran into potential legal obstacles.

Addressing the MacGill Summer School in Co. Donegal this week, Minister Reilly said he was working closely with his junior minister, Alex White, to expedite progress in this area.

He said the initial focus would be how young children could be given access to free GP care.

"I do not want any parent to be in a position where they have to decide between buying the groceries and bringing their child to the doctor," Dr Reilly told the Summer School.

He said this would be an important step on the road to universal health insurance, which he said would begin to be introduced in 2016 and would take five years to be completely implemented.

The plan for eventual universal free GP care at the point of access is expected to involve giving all non-medical card patients doctor visit cards, which will not cover them for GP care but not drug costs.

Other revised proposals considered by the Government for free GP care have included a 'co-payment' system, whereby people on higher incomes would pay a contribution and get unlimited care in return.

A spokesman for the Minister said the intention was to extend free GP care by age cohort involving children.

"The precise manner in which this is done and the ages involved is under consideration by Ministers Reilly and White and by the Government."