Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

99. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the development of the promised new primary care centre on Inisbofin, following the transfer of land on which the airstrip is located from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht in October 2024; the timeline for the delivery of the primary care centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52337/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

A central objective of the Programme for Government is to deliver increased levels of integrated health care with service delivery reoriented towards general practice, primary care and community-based services to enable a “home first” approach.

Primary Care Centres play an essential role in the delivery of that objective and significant progress has been made in the delivery of these centres nationally.

The HSE is committed to providing a HSE own-build Primary Care Centre in Inisbofin.

To progress the project a number of property transactions are required to facilitate the development of a Primary Care Centre on Inisbofin.

The transaction for the property transfer from Galway County Council to Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht has completed. Legal proceedings for the transfer of ownership of the land to the HSE have not yet finalised. HSE are working with their legal agents to progress the final aspect of the transfer of these lands to the HSE as expediently as possible.

In the meantime, and in anticipation of the completion of the transfer of property, the HSE have appointed a Design Team for the project. The Design Team is currently working through Preliminary Design to be concluded in Q4 2025/Q1 2026, with the aim of lodging of a planning application in Q2 2026.

As the Deputy is aware, Inishbofin is a Special Area of Conservation. Therefore there are a number of site-specific assessments required in order to preserve the island's conservation status and reduce any environmental impact. HSE advise that environmental impact assessments are currently underway but some are determined by the time of year.

A more definitive timeframe for the provision of the Primary Care Centre on Inisbofin will be clarified as the project progresses through planning and design.