Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

I am a big believer in health facilities, care facilities or what we sometimes call injury clinics around the country. I am a big fan of those, in particular in rural areas. They are definitely needed and they are a great way for people to be able to come together in communities and have the services they need.

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I thank Senator Ryan for raising it and for the opportunity to update the House.

A central objective of the programme for Government is to deliver increased levels of integrated healthcare with service delivery, redirected towards general practice, primary care and community-based services to enable what is called a home-first approach. Integral to this is the development of primary care centres across the country in local communities such as Kanturk. What the Senator said is 100% right: it is vital to have such centres in rural parts of the country. Primary care centres form an important part of our healthcare infrastructure, providing a single point of access to primary and community care services for individuals. They also serve as a resource more broadly for the community, creating a focal point for local health initiatives or providing community groups with a place to meet.It is for this reason that the development of primary care centres is a huge part of our Sláintecare remit. Significant progress has been made in the delivery of these primary care centres, with 179 now open and a further five under construction. The centres offer a tangible example of the investment the Government is making in community-based health infrastructure.

A new primary care centre is planned for Kanturk and will be delivered by way of an optional lease model. The Senator will be aware that the HSE had previously advertised and identified a preferred developer for this new centre in Kanturk and the planning permission had been secured. Unfortunately, this preferred developer recently withdrew from the project, primarily due to increases in building costs. As a result, the HSE intends to readvertise for a new proposal to develop Kanturk primary care centre. This is what is happening now with the primary care centre. The HSE advises that the readvertisement of the primary care centre on the eTenders procurement platform is expected to take place in the coming weeks. This is the first step in the procurement process.

The Minister fully understands and recognises that this is a disappointing development at this stage. I can see that it is very disappointing and is frustrating for the people in the local area who have been awaiting the centre for some time. Unfortunately, in order to proceed the project will need to be readvertised. It is, however, welcome news that the HSE is progressing with the Kanturk primary care centre and is going ahead with the readvertisement process.

The Minister wishes to assure the Senator that the Government remains committed to the continued development of primary care centres throughout the country and, specifically, the provision of a primary care centre in Kanturk. That is what is happening now.