Mr. Tony O'Brien:

We will provide Deputy O'Connell with a detailed written reply in respect of Meath community care centre. I do not have the information she is seeking to hand. I will ask my colleague, Mr. Woods, to address the question of hospital-based venesection charges in a moment. The Deputy also asked about movement in the direction of the recommendations in the Sláintecare report. Budget day was last week. The Department will shortly issue us with a letter of determination - I think that is the correct terminology - which will allow us to bring to a conclusion our service planning process, which we submit for ministerial approval. It is through that vehicle that we will be able to express what we will do in 2018 to move us in the direction of some of the Sláintecare recommendations. Until that process has been completed, I will be unable to say exactly what we will be doing. We have not yet reached the point at which we can know that.

Clearly, increased utilisation of primary care would have been a priority, even without the Sláintecare report, but the report adds greater focus to that.