Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 889: To ask the Minister for Health the number of premises being rented by the Health Service Executive from general practitioners as primary health care units; his policy in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41232/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Health Service Executive has responsibility for the management and delivery of the health capital programme. I have, accordingly, referred your question on the number of primary care premise rented from GPs to the Executive for attention and direct reply.

The key objective of the Primary Care Strategy is to develop services in the community which will give people direct access to integrated multi-disciplinary teams of general practitioners, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others. Modern, well-equipped Primary Care Centres (PCCs) are central to the effective functioning of Primary Care Teams. These enable multi-disciplinary services to be made available on a single site, provide a single point of access for users, and encourage closer coordination between health providers. The intention is that, where appropriate, PCCs will be provided by the private sector through negotiated lease agreements, where the developers in some instances may be GPs. The Exchequer will continue to fund the delivery of Primary Care Centres in deprived urban areas, small rural towns and isolated areas.