Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghlacadh leis an Aire Stáit as teacht ar maidin ach caithfidh mé a rá anseo ar thaifead an Tí go raibh orm cur ina luí ar oifig an Chinn Comhairle maidir le Buan-Ordú 31 i ndáil le hAire as an réimse a fháil. I thank the Minister of State for coming in here today. I put it on the record of the House, however, that I had to invoke Standing Order 37 to ensure that a Minister or Minister of State from the Department of Health came in to take this question today. I think it should be routine that a Minister or Minister of State from the relevant Department would come in to take Topical Issue matters, which is happening less and less. Standing Order 37 is quite clear. It provides that if a Minister or Minister of State cannot come into the House on the day in question, then he or she must come into the House the following day. This is black and white. I wish to put this point on the record.

As the Leas-Cheann Comhairle knows, west and north Connemara is a vast area, stretching out to the west of Maam Cross and north to south from Carna and Roundstone up to Leenane and Cong on the other side. It is a vast area of indented coast and mountains, with a spread-out population and two offshore islands served from there as well, Inishbofin and Inishturk. The doctor from Clifden serves Inishturk in County Mayo too. The proposal for primary care centres in Connemara is that there would be one in Oughterard, one in Moycullen and one in Spiddal. These areas are all in the east end of Connemara. Níl aon cheann molta don Cheathrú Rua and there is no primary care there, but I will come back to this another day. None is proposed for Clifden.

Oughterard is the nearest proposed primary care centre. It is over an hour's travel away. Can the Minister of State imagine if people in County Cork were told they had to travel over an hour on bad roads to get to a primary care centre? It is over an hour from Ballyconneely or Cleggan and over two hours for people travelling from the islands. It is also an area where public transport is very poor. Clifden district hospital used to have a wide range of services and has had an X-ray machine installed in it since the 2000s. There are also good mental health services in Clifden. We know the nursing home in Clifden and the hospital there are going to be amalgamated with a new CNU on the St. Anne's site. This will free up the Clifden hospital site for the provision of a primary care centre. I do not want, nor do I expect, the Minister of State in this Department to give me the usual HSE standard speak here today. It is time the Minister of State told us that the more dispersed populations are entitled to services.

It is also important to note that Clifden is 80 km from Galway. Parts of this region are over 100 km from Galway, not to mention the challenges faced by the islanders. In relation to Inishbofin, planning was obtained for a new health centre there in the 2000s, but it has never been built. Some 16 years later, we are still waiting for the promised health centre on Inishbofin. I also inquired about Renvyle health centre, which is totally inadequate for the modern practice of medicine. It needs refurbishment and upgrading but I was told it was not going to happen. Cornamona health centre is a newish one that was built in the 2000s. It is not used by the GP. I cannot understand why health services, such as speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, counselling services, etc., could not be provided from the Cornamona health centre.

I hope that I will get real answers from the Minister of State today and a clear statement that the ministerial intent is to direct that the areas with dispersed populations will be entitled to a service within a reasonable distance of their homes.

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