Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 15 September 2022

Committee on Public Petitions

Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Michael Fitzgerald:

The Chairman is correct. While there has been significant investment in many centres – I can speak for the CHO area across Cork and Kerry – we have significant deficits in a number of centres. Some will need either significant refurbishment or replacement. We have developed an overall plan from a strategic perspective around those. There is a specific aspect to be considered concerning the information I provided in my opening statement on the fabric of this particular building, its nature and its lifespan. No more than with any of the other buildings in which we are investing, even by way of an interim arrangement until we have to replace them, the issue with the building in question was that once one started to work on it, all the other issues would come to the fore very quickly. That was the specific issue with regard to this particular building.