Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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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.

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I will take this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. I thank Deputy Thomas Byrne for raising this issue as it provides me with an opportunity to reaffirm the Government's commitment to developing community-based services at local level. The Government strategy of 2001, Primary Care: A New Direction, is the roadmap for the development of primary care services in Ireland over a period of ten to 15 years. The development of such services is an essential component of the health service reform process. It has been estimated that in a developed primary care system, 90% to 95% of people's day-to-day health and social care needs can be met in the primary care setting. The key objective in primary care policy is to develop services in the community that will give people direct access to integrated multidisciplinary teams.

Under the Towards 2016 social partnership agreement, the Government has committed itself to the establishment of 300 primary care teams by 2008, 400 by 2009 and 500 by 2011. In line with the agreement, a review of these targets is under way at present. The provision of these services, including the furthering of health centres and primary care teams at local level, is an operational matter for the HSE.

I understand from the HSE there is a health centre located at Alverno Heights, Laytown, at present. While this centre was extended several years ago, given the rapid growth in population in east County Meath, difficulties are being experienced regarding its existing capacity. At present, the centre provides a range of services, including general practitioner services, public health nursing services and community welfare officer services. Consultation rooms also are available for visiting allied health professionals such as speech and language therapists and the area medical officer.

In keeping with the primary care strategy, the HSE is developing proposals at present for a primary care team in Laytown. This development will necessitate the renting or leasing of additional accommodation in the short term. Suitable accommodation for this purpose is being identified in the Laytown-east County Meath area. The medium-term plan for the Laytown area is to source new accommodation via a public private partnership process. While a national advertisement seeking expressions of interest from developers was placed in late 2007, unfortunately no submissions for the Laytown area were received. It is intended that the advertisement process will be repeated later in the year as east County Meath remains a priority for a public private partnership development.

Since 2002, the Government has provided significant new funding to enable the primary care strategy to be rolled out. In addition to the additional resources being put in place, membership of primary care teams is drawn from existing professional and other staff working in primary, community and continuing care services. The Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, has emphasised to the HSE the importance she attaches to the continued development and roll-out of primary care teams. I am satisfied that services for the Laytown area will be significantly enhanced with the development of a primary care team for the area. I again thank Deputy Byrne for raising the issue and I hope he is satisfied with the response.