Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State back to the Chamber and thank him for taking time out of his schedule to be here.

I want to talk about the Drumconrath healthcare facility in County Meath. Caridas House was part of the facility which was operated by the HSE. It was a residential care centre for people with disabilities. Its recent closure affords the HSE an opportunity to expand services further at the location. The facility has two or three GPs who are working full-time and provide an excellent service not only for the people of Drumconrath but also the people of north Meath generally and as far away as Carrickmacross, County Monaghan and Kingscourt, County Cavan. I am thinking about additional clinics being made available for people living in the area. For example, a public health nurse could be located there a few days a week or a social worker could be included, with mental health and physiotherapy services, among many others. I hope the HSE will take on the task of exploring what services could be put in place for the benefit of the people living in Drumconrath, north Meath and as far away as Kingscourt, County Cavan and Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. I look forward to hearing the response of the Minister of State. This is about providing additional health services for the people living in these areas.