Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for those words of encouragement. As with everything, rumours circulate on social media these days, including the rumour over the summer that these projects would not happen and that funding for them was questionable. I am glad to hear tonight in the Dáil that they are progressing. Ennis is the largest town in Munster that is not a city and it needs the two new primary care centres on the Tulla Road and the Station Road. Sixmilebridge was once a small village and is now a large town. As Kilrush and Ennistymon are more peripheral in the county, their need for primary care is more acute.

I ask the Minister to confirm that the money remains allocated to these and has not been pulled as was rumoured. I hope these new primary care centres will have the capacity to fully deal with developmental check-ups for the young, the elderly and also mental health. As I have often discussed with the Minister, there is considerable focus on physical health because of Covid, but mental health is also suffering. Primary care needs to have the capacity to cater for that also.

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