Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for permitting this matter to be discussed on the Adjournment. The existing health centre in Laytown, County Meath, was built for a former era, that is, before the area of Laytown, Bettystown and Mornington became the second largest town in County Meath, which it effectively now is after Navan. The health centre also serves areas beyond that, including Grangerath, where I live, Donacarney, Stamullen and Julianstown. It serves a wide population in east County Meath.

The staff at the health centre provide a good service to the community. While they do the best they can, given the population they do so in small and cramped conditions. I acknowledge that senior local HSE officials in the HSE north-east area have confirmed to me that east Meath is a priority for them. The services provided at the health centre include two doctors, a practice nurse a number of public health nurses, dentistry services for children — although there are delays in this regard — a community welfare officer and certain speech therapy facilities. However, other services should be provided there, including social work, child protection, disability services, services for older people, ophthalmic services, audiology services, physiotherapy services and some psychiatric services. Such services are not being provided and in many cases my constituents are obliged to travel to Dunshaughlin, Slane or Navan to obtain them. This is highly inconvenient for many of them, especially older people and young families with children.

Last January, the HSE informed me there was a serious proposal to acquire another property to be used as the health centre for east County Meath. While I was pleased with this news, I made a commitment to the HSE to keep quiet about it as best I could because discussions regarding the premises were at an advanced stage but had not been completed. Consequently, I was content to allow the HSE to complete the deal. However, I recently have been approached by the property's owners, to whom I had never spoken previously, who informed me the HSE had told them there was no money available for this project. Other rumours are flying about in the area to the effect the HSE is in conversations with other landowners and developers with a view to providing an improved health centre in the area.

While I welcome the commitment of the local HSE officials in their search for a premises, I hope it is not the case that the HSE does not have the money to provide an improved, enlarged and much needed centre in a area of massively growing population. I hope the financial commitment is present at a national level as well as the local commitment. I would be grateful were the Minister of State to inform me this matter is a priority for health services in growing areas. Two doctors work at Laytown health centre and two others also operate in the community, serving a population of more than 10,000. They are under pressure and despite the property downturn, people continue to move into the area. I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children for coming to the House to respond to this issue and I look forward to his response.

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