Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2013
1300. Deputy Paudie Coffey asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the progress on the primary care centres that have been approved for Waterford City and Dungarvan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17244/13]
View answerApproval of infrastructure projects is done in the context of the overall approval of the HSE multi-annual Capital Plan. The HSE has submitted its draft multi-annual Capital Plan 2013-2017 to the Department of Health. The Plan is being considered and will be submitted shortly to the Minister for Health for his approval. The consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform is then required, following which the HSE will publish details on its website.
Waterford city and Dungarvan are two of the 35 primary care centre 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 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.
