Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, to the House. As long ago as 2018, the probability of the Drimnagh primary care centre was being mooted and referenced in published articles. In December 2019, the then Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, and Minister of State, Catherine Byrne, announced the primary care centre for Drimnagh on the site of the Mother McAuley Centre and they projected a timeline of final design in 2020, with construction to commence in 2021. I accept that in the meantime all of our lives and everything about us was hijacked by Covid. However, primary care centre is overdue for the community of Drimnagh. They welcomed that it was to be located locally and that they would have a focus and place to go to where all of their healthcare needs could be met. The demand for this centre still exists. The population of Drimnagh is large. As I speak, there are hundreds of apartments under construction in the Drimnagh area, with many more in the planning process, all of which will increase that population. Any delay to the provision of the primary care centre will have a major impact on their lives. A primary care centre is part of the necessary and integral provision of services, infrastructure and supports within any community.

The facilities that were promised for the Mother McAuley Centre were to be located on the site of the demolished HSE health centre. The proposal includes a rebuild of the Alzheimer's unit, a community centre and crèche and the construction of a state-of-the-art primary care centre. Last week, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, brought us up to date on the significant strides forward in dealing with the long waiting lists in the provision of care to children with additional and special needs. Primary care centres are necessary to her plans and the plans under the programme for Government in addressing the needs of children. If the Drimnagh primary care centre is not built, speech and language services, and services for all of the other multidisciplinary therapies that are required for children prior to going to school, will be delayed. In our major steps forward, there will be a blackspot in primary care centre provision such that children will have to move outside their areas for service provision. It is necessary that we move this project on as quickly as possible.

Shortly after my appointment this time last year, I wrote to the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, seeking an update on this matter. It is a big deal and an urgent need in the Drimnagh community. I wrote to him in July and I received a reply at the end of September. The reply confirmed that the project is on the books, but it also referenced the phrase, "it is a dynamic process". I have had sleepless nights in relation to that phrase. I understand Covid, but a dynamic process indicates to me that this is going to be stretched out for some time to come. That is not okay. This is an urgent need in the here and now.

The Minister of State representing the Minister. I would appreciate an update on this matter. The people of Drimnagh desperately need to hear it.