John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health when funding be approved for a primary care centre (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16713/13]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Claremorris is one of the 35 primary care centres locations announced under the infrastructure stimulus package in July 2012. Approximately 20 will be offered to the market subject to a) agreement between the local GPs and the HSE on active local GP involvement in the centres and b) site suitability and availability. The HSE is currently finalising matters relating to the available sites and GP engagement in each location. The HSE is also engaging with the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) as required to progress Primary Care Centre Public Private Partnership. The NDFA as a centre of expertise will be responsible for the delivery of the Primary Care PPP programme on behalf of the HSE, including the management of the procurement phase and the provision of financial advice including a Value for Money assessment. It has been reviewing the processes involved in procurement of PPP projects with a view to streamlining the process and delivering projects more quickly. The preparatory work which precedes signing of any PPP agreement is well underway.

Public Private Partnership (PPP) involves a large element of up-front funding by the private sector and allows the cost of financing infrastructure to be spread over the lifetime of the asset. PPPs are reimbursed through annual unitary payments. As unitary payments are linked to performance over the lifetime of the project payments will only be made where the asset is delivered in line with the terms of the contract. While it is not possible, at this time, to give start and completion dates for any of the individual 20 potential locations, the best estimate is that these primary care centres will be completed by late 2016. Therefore it is estimated that the HSE is unlikely to make annual unitary payments before late 2016.