Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. What was missing is a date for the opening of the clinic in Celbridge. I accept that the clinic had to close for the refurbishment. It is a positive development that the new primary care centre is coming to Celbridge, because the centre was built and developed to provide the services for Celbridge and the wider catchment area. That is all positive, but the Minister of State will understand the difficulties experienced by parents in Celbridge who are trying to get a service for their children. The closest service is in Naas and everyone is being directed there, despite what the Minister of State said to the effect that patients are being offered services as close as possible to Celbridge. That is not the case. Naas is 30 to 40 minutes away and it is not logistically possible to get to it directly by public transport. The situation is not as straightforward as has been presented.

Given that the refurbishment work has gone to tender and the tenders are being reviewed there must be an indication of the cost involved. When will the work start to bring the new dental service to Celbridge and when will it be ready for children to access the dental services they need there. I have been trying to distil the information for the past six months. I accept that the Minister of State is trying to help but the crux of the issue relates to when the service will be up and running in Celbridge for local children and the children of Kilcock, Maynooth and Leixlip. That is the critical issue. If the Minister of State is not able to provide a definitive timeframe today, I hope he can do so within the next week before the Dáil rises so that we would have some clarity.

The Minister of State indicated that occupational therapy services are provided in Celbridge but that is not the case with physiotherapy. In addition, unfortunately, patients are not being seen in five days. Children with special needs have particular challenges and an assessment of needs sets out what they require but after the assessment has been carried out it can take between six and 12 months before they get into a programme of treatment. Unfortunately, that is the reality on the ground. We want to work with the Minister of State to improve the situation.

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