The Health Minister Leo Varadkar has said it was never his intention to limit free GP care for the under-6s.
Last night Mr Varadkar pledged to offer free GP care to all school children if the government is re-elected.
He said that the scheme would be given first to primary school students, and then extended to those in secondary education "within the first years of the new government".
"We've had a very big step forward towards universal health coverage this year...but it was never intended just to stop there", he told the Pat Kenny Show here on Newstalk.
"It was only ever a first step, so I'm keen now to get on with the next steps".
He said this can be done within the next two years - offering free coverage to children aged between six and 12 years.
When asked what may happen if his plans are thrown out under a new government, he replied: "That's democracy I suppose - and if government's change, policies can change".
But he added that "I think what we're all united by - and this where I suppose Fine Gael and Labour would be different to Fianna Fáil and some of the other parties - is that we are committed to universal health coverage".
In terms of hospital funding, Mr Varadakar said: "We do roughly know which hospitals are more efficient than others".
But he suggested some hospitals may seem less viable, through no fault of their own: "Sometimes if a hospital is inefficient it's not necessarily it's fault - it could be because it has very old infrastructure, for example, and that drives up the cost".
And the minister says the moving of maternity services in Dublin is part of international best practice.
The Coombe will be moving to St James's to join the new Childrens' Hospital, the Rotunda is set to move to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown and the National Maternity Hospital is moving to the St Vincent's campus in south Dublin.
"What's happening now is that we're getting on with it - I don't want anymore rows about where the site is going to be".
When asked what happens if planning applications are rejected, Mr Varadkar said: "I'm not contemplating that, quite frankly".
Listen to his full interview below:
