Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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I congratulate the Minister of State on his new role. It is well deserved. I wish him luck.

I will be short and to the point. There is a shortage of primary care centres within my home county of Longford. There has been a great deal of discussion and many promises have been made. However, we are no further on with those promises. When will we see construction in order to provide much-needed upgraded primary care centres for towns in the county? I refer to three towns in particular. Ballymahon is located in south Longford. It has a population of more than 2,000 and is home to the largest tourism accommodation site in the county, with more than 2,500 people coming in and out of the area twice a week and staying within the geographical area around Ballymahon. Edgeworthstown, which experienced the highest increase in population of any town in Ireland between 2006 and 2011 due to the significant number of houses built, has a population of 2,500 to 3,000 people. Granard in north Longford services a huge rural hinterland that runs into parts of Westmeath and Cavan. In reality, we have not seen any progress on these projects. They have been talked about and promised but nothing has been delivered. I want an update on all three projects and I want to know when we will see progression and action in respect of them. As already stated, they need to be developed.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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This is a very important matter. On behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, I thank the Senator for raising it and giving me the opportunity to provide an update.

The central objective of the programme for Government is to deliver increased levels of integrated healthcare, with service delivery reoriented towards general practice, primary care and community-based services to enable a home-first approach. Integral to this is the development of primary care centres in local communities across the country. Significant progress has been made in the delivery of these centres, with 174 open to date and a further seven under construction and due to open this year. These primary care centres offer a tangible example of the investment the Government is making in community-based healthcare infrastructure.

The operational lease model is often the preferred model for developing primary care centres because it has the potential to offer better value for money and enable streamlined delivery of projects. Under this model, the HSE enters into fixed-term leases with the developers. The HSE identifies the locations requiring a primary care centre and invites interested parties to express their interest in providing suitable accommodation by way of public notice in national and our local press.With regard to Ballymahon primary care centre, the HSE advises that, while this project had previously progressed through to early planning stage, the original bidder is no longer involved in this project. As such, it is now intended that a new expression of interest competition will be initiated in May 2024 to deliver a primary care centre in Ballymahon via the operational lease model in Ballymahon. Regarding Granard primary care centre, the HSE advises it is intended that a capital funding application will be submitted to purchase a site and develop a primary care centre utilising Exchequer funding. Regarding Edgeworthstown primary care centre, following advertisement and review of submissions, a preferred bidder has been selected. A property transaction approval form was prepared and approved by the HSE property review group in December 2023. The developer is currently reviewing the schedule of accommodation for the GP, and legal negotiations have just commenced between the HSE and the developer’s solicitors.

These primary care centres will be a welcome addition to the people and healthcare workers of Longford. Unfortunately, it is not possible to estimate an opening date until agreements are in place and a construction schedule has been confirmed. However, I assure the Senator that this Government remains committed to the provision of these primary care centres for Longford and remains committed to the continued development of primary care centres throughout the country.

Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for saying the Government is committed to the development of the three centres. I ask that we progress all of them, particularly the one in Granard in respect of which the Minister of State said there seems to be change from what was initially planned for, namely, an operational lease model, and that they are looking to purchase a site. Will the Minister of State tell me which location this is planned for? This seems to have deviated from what was originally planned and my understanding of what was going to be developed.

The original bidder in Ballymahon has now gone. The expression of interest competition should be initiated by 24 May and not pushed down. I intend to ensure those dates are adhered to. I thank the Minister of State for the commitment that has been given that these will be provided in County Longford.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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It is a very important issue and these are very important developments in the area. On behalf of the Minister, I thank the Senator for raising this issue. The primary care centres provide important primary care infrastructure and can support the delivery of integrated care by facilitating closer co-ordination and co-operation between health professionals across different disciplines. They also provide a single point of access to services for the individual and can 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 the development of primary care centres is an important part of Sláintecare. As part of the continued Government investment in the development of primary and community care, there are now 174 primary care centres operational nationally, of which 45 became operational since the beginning of 2020. A further seven centres are in construction and many more are at an earlier stage in the development process.

The three primary care centres in Longford - Ballymahon, Granard and Edgeworthstown - are all at early stages of development. The HSE continues to engage with these projects to progress through the stages of the operational lease model or by capital funding submissions.

This Government remains committed to the continued progression of the primary care centre programme throughout the country, including planned primary care centre development in Longford. I recently attended the opening of a primary care centre in Ballincollig in my constituency. It has a population of about 25,000, and now three GP practices have moved in there. We also have psychiatric and physiotherapy services. We even have transferred part of the ophthalmology service out of Cork University Hospital. This service is now out in the community and is serving a population of 72,000, so they are very important. I take on board the Senator's comments and will convey them to the Minister.

Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State and welcome the Minister, Deputy McConalogue.