Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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10. To ask the Minister for Health the plans for the construction of a primary care centre in Dundalk, County Louth, the timeline of the construction and resourcing of the centre, the services and staffing numbers that will be provided at the primary care centre, and the cost of the provision of the centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38774/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to thank the Deputy for allowing me to update the house on this matter.

Dundalk Primary Care Centre (PCC) is being delivered through the Operational Lease mechanism, whereby the HSE enters into agreement with a developer to build a PCC and the HSE then leases the building for a fixed period.

All Primary Care Centres delivered via the Operational Lease model are subject to the normal HSE approval processes and are rigorously examined in relation to all aspects including whether it represents value for money to the HSE.

Planning Permission was granted for Dundalk PCC, however an appeal was lodged with An Bord Pleanála. A decision by An Bord Pleanála to grant planning permission was received in mid-August 2024 with an 8-week standstill period before final grant of planning can be issued.

Once planning permission is finalised, the HSE anticipate that the developer could be on site in Q2 2025 with an estimated construction timeframe of approximately 18 to 24 months.

It is envisaged that a wide range of Primary Care Services, Disability Services, Adult Mental service alongside GP services will be delivered from the centre with staffing numbers for these services to be confirmed closer to the opening of the centre.

I assure the Deputy that my Department is actively engaged with the HSE to progress the further development of primary care centres throughout the country and I very much welcome the progress on Dundalk Primary Care Centre.