Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this issue and for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the capital projects under way in County Monaghan. The HSE has advised that projects to deliver a primary care centre and an upgraded mental health residential unit on the St. Davnet’s campus in Monaghan town are under way. The north Monaghan primary care centre will be developed by way of a major refurbishment of Blackwater house at St. Davnet’s campus in Monaghan town.

The appointed design team is engaging in pre-planning meetings with Monaghan County Council's planning department. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2020. In addition, the HSE is extending and refurbishing a building on the St Davnet’s campus to provide accommodation to allow for the decanting of services that utilise some of the space in Blackwater house. This upgraded residential mental health unit is under construction and is a key enabler for the primary care centre development project. These developments will enable staff to deliver optimal quality care and treatment in facilities which afford dignity, respect and privacy to all.

Funding for these development projects in Monaghan has been included in the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 policy initiative, announced last year. This provides €10.9 billion for health capital developments, including both national programmes and individual projects, across acute, primary and social care. The delivery of these projects and programmes, including developments in County Monaghan, will result in healthcare facilities that allow for the implementation of new models of care and for the delivery of services in high-quality modern facilities.

The new children’s hospital is a vital and much-needed project and the Government has examined the funding pressures associated with delivering this important project. In meeting these funding pressures, the Government has examined all projects and programmes across Government and has made adjustments to ensure that the much-needed new children's hospital will be delivered and will facilitate the delivery of the overall investment programme as set out in Project Ireland 2040. The Government provided an additional €75 million of capital funding in 2019 towards the increased costs of the new children's hospital. The summer economic statement provides a capital expenditure reserve of up to €200 million in 2020 to accommodate the funding requirements for the new children's hospital and the national broadband plan. This will allow my Department and the HSE to finalise a multi-annual capital plan.

The health capital allocation in 2019 is €642 million for the construction and equipping of health facilities. This represents an increase of €224 million on last year's capital provision for the public health sector. This Government will continue to invest in the public health sector and will deliver the new children's hospital and a wide range of health capital projects in hospitals, social care and the community.