Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 March 2013
577. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he will list the primary care centres contained within the two bundles announced as part of the national stimulus plan; the current status of each of these individual centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15157/13]
View answerOf the 35 primary care centres 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 analysing the available sites in each location and engaging with the GPs in each location to determine their interest in participating in the primary care centre development.
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 for the primary care centre project which precedes signing of any PPP agreements is well underway.
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.
