Vol. 448 No. 2
10 Mr. B. Kenneally asked the Minister for Health when construction will commence on the new community care headquarters for Waterford City; the expected completion date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1176/95]
The project team for this centre was reconvened in 1994 to revise the original brief to take account of developments in the intervening period. The facility will serve as the headquarters for the community care area and provide a wide range of services to the people of Waterford. The present position is that the documents relating to stage 2 of the planning process are due to be formally submitted to my Department this month. It is expected that building will commence later in the year and will take about 15 months to complete.
I thank my constituency colleague for the reply which comes as no great surprise to me. I put down this question on 9 January 1995 and about a week later I read about it in one of the local newspapers. I always thought the practice was that once a question had been put down it would not be dealt with until it arose in the House. I wonder will the Government adhere to that convention. The Minister stated that building will commence later this year. That could be December 1995, and it could be 1997 before the headquarters is opened. Will the Minister clarify the date?
The management plan prepared by the design team proposes completion of the tender documentation by 1 May 1995, agreement on a contractor following the tender period by late May and a start on site by mid-June. Those are the target dates but obviously the planning process must be gone through and as that is an open public process difficulties may arise, although I do not anticipate that. Every effort will be made by me and the Department to ensure those target dates are met.
I am glad work is expected to commence in mid-June and I fully appreciate problems may arise with planning and so on. Will I always be as successful when I put down questions to the Minister for Health in future?
