It might be the first time I have seen two Byrnes and two Farrells in the Chamber. We will start with Deputy Aidan Farrelly, to discuss DART+ projects in Kilcock and Sallins, County Kildare.
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
Rail Network
I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this matter this evening and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, for his attendance. I appreciate it. The DART+ West project was touted as the first of the projects of the broader DART+ programmes that would be delivered. It is a much-needed rail line improvement. It is an important project for north Kildare in that it would provide a sustainable and enhanced rail service for users. The project between Hazelhatch and Heuston is expected to increase hourly traffic from 5,000 to 20,000 commuters alone. Kildare commuters have the second longest commute in the State. It is hoped that the project will improve capacity on the Maynooth and M3 Parkway lines into Dublin's existing and to-be-expanded DART network. The DART+ West network applied to An Bord Pleanála for a railway order in July 2022. Since its inception, communities in Kilcock and Sallins have campaigned for the inclusion of their towns in the first phase of this roll-out, because it makes no financial or engineering sense to bring these services as far as Maynooth, Hazelhatch and Celbridge without going that extra little bit to Kilcock and Sallins and Naas. I am sure Deputy Ó Fearghaíl would say to bring it to Newbridge while we are at it.
Do not forget about Athy.
For months, concerned residents of Kilcock and many other towns spoke about the vitality that this service would bring. It is seen as an essential part of the development of Kilcock and indeed wider north Kildare. All along, we were facing the prospect of the DART+ having its depot in Kilcock but no service in Kilcock. Now that this is off the cards, where will this depot go? It can go to the other side of Kilcock, to Enfield. There are many opportunities for a park-and-ride service. I acknowledge that the delivery of this extension to Kilcock is dependent on the service and delivery of the DART+ West project in general, but some sort of pre-planning can be done in tandem with the existing process that is under way.
We are told that an extension of DART+ is an objective of the National Transport Authority. While it is welcome that this is in the greater Dublin area transport strategy, the timeline for the railway order to the end of this is 20 years. That is a generation of more than 100,000 commuters who do not have that option. While the private car remains the most popular mode of commuting in Kildare, we have seen an increase in the use of public transport between the most recent two census profiles. Much of that is down to the increase in provision of bus services and accessibility to existing rail services. I commend previous Governments on their work and significant investment in that, because it has to be noted that there has been a significant increase in public transport services in Kildare. However, we are told that the DART+ project will require additional funding to that provided for in the current national development plan. Has this been estimated yet? I understand that a mid-term review of the national development plan was or is to happen. What is the update on this?
Last year, the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, announced that funding had been secured to prepare for the future roll-out of the DART to Sallins, Naas and Kilcock. I welcome this wholeheartedly. What does it mean exactly? Are details available? Will the Minister of State confirm that the contingency of the DART extending was and is not dependent on the depot being in Kilcock?
When can people reasonably expect to see DART trains in Kilcock, Sallins and Naas?
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which I am taking for the Minister for Transport, and I apologise that he is not here. It is an important matter. Having been a student In Maynooth, I have seen the growth of Kilcock, Sallins and Maynooth.
Improving public transport services and infrastructure is central to improving citizens' quality of life and achieving our decarbonisation goals. Achieving these goals has been set out in the programme for Government. The National Transport Authority, NTA, has statutory responsibility for transport planning in the greater Dublin area, including County Kildare. The NTA's greater Dublin area transport strategy, which was approved by the Minister for Transport in January 2023, sets out a framework for transport investment across the region over a 20-year period from 2022 to 2042. It also provides a clear statement of transport planning policy for counties including Kildare.
I clarify the planned proposals related to the DART+ West and South West projects and the current position of the proposals in the planning and development stage. The DART+ West project aims to increase passenger capacity on the Maynooth and M3 Parkway rail lines. This will be achieved by changing to electrified, high-capacity DART trains and increasing the frequency of train services between Maynooth Station and M3 Parkway Station to Connolly Station and to a new proposed Spencer Dock station. The project also included the construction of a new DART depot facility.
A planning decision, called a railway order, was granted by An Bord Pleanála for DART+ in July 2024 subject to a number of conditions, notably that the proposed depot west of Maynooth not be constructed due to concerns about flood risk. Iarnród Éireann and the NTA are engaging on the submission of a new railway order to An Bord Pleanála for the proposed depot. There are also two judicial reviews lodged in the High Court against the granted railway order. These issues are being examined before a decision on the next steps is made.
The DART+ South West project involves the electrification of the Kildare line from Dublin Heuston to Hazelhatch-Celbridge, the provision of four tracks between Heuston Station and Park West and Cherry Orchard, and a new station at Heuston west. A railway order was approved by An Bord Pleanála for this project late last year and Iarnród Éireann is now working to progress the preparation of procurement documents for this project to enable later construction.
While neither Kilcock nor Sallins are included in the extended electrification works proposed under the DART+ programme, consideration has been given to the efficient, effective and sustainable movement of people and goods in the greater Dublin area. Since the submission of the railway order applications for the DART+ West and DART+ South West projects to An Bord Pleanála, the new Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy 2022-2042 has been finalised and adopted. The new strategy includes an objective to extend the DART system further westwards to Kilcock, Sallins and Naas. It is intended that the extension of the DART to Sallins and Naas would be linked with the provision of a major park and ride site, in the order of 1,000 spaces, on the Sallins bypass, with the potential of a new train station to be developed alongside the park and ride.
The proposed extensions to Kilcock and Sallins and Naas will be developed as a separate follow-on project to the DART+ programme. Planning work on these extensions could commence this year. The exact timelines for these two extensions will be developed as design and planning work gets under way. The projects will also be advanced subject to funding and securing relevant approvals, and as such the Department of Transport will consider them as part of its submission to the review of the national development plan, which is planned to take place later this year.
I would be happy to have officials in the Department talk to the Deputy further to his submission this afternoon.
I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. I appreciate that. Like him, I have spent a lot of time in Maynooth over the years as a student and educator. What emphasises the need for Kilcock and south Kildare is that sometimes it is quicker to get from Dublin city to Maynooth than from Kilcock to Maynooth. That is because the public transport might let you down or is not interlinked. That really emphasises the need for this service to be rolled out. I appreciate it is now included in that strategy, but the concern for many in Kilcock and Sallins is that the timeframe for that strategy is potentially 20 years away. We need it urgently. We need it much sooner than that. If there are ways in which we can incorporate those towns into the existing works, it would be appreciated, and there is an evidence base for that. I would love to engage further with the officials in the Department and I appreciate the Minister of State for his time and effort.
On behalf of the Minister for Transport, I again thank him for his engagement and the Topical Issue submitted. In terms of current developments, the DART+ West and DART+ South West projects are moving to the next stage in light of recent planning decisions. An Bord Pleanála has given conditional approval for the DART+ West and full approval for the DART+ South West railway order applications. While it should be noted that the two judicial review applications to the railway order approval for DART+ West have been lodged, Iarnród Éireann is now working to progress the preparation of procurement documents for both projects to enable later construction. Iarnród Éireann and the NTA are also engaging on a new railway order for a depot.
While neither Sallins nor Kilcock is currently included in the DART network under the DART+ programme, the requirement to extend the DART service to both locations has been recognised in the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy 2022-2042. These extensions to DART services will be developed as separate follow-on projects to the DART+ programme, subject to securing relevant funding and approvals. It is necessary to go through the full feasibility and opitoneering processes. I assure the Deputy that projects will be progressed in line with the requirements of the infrastructure guidelines and that public consultation processes will be undertaken at appropriate stages as projects are progressed.
In the shorter term I look forward to the development of new battery-electric DART carriages ordered on the DART+ Fleet project, which has started testing, and they are expected to enter service in 2026 on the commuter line serving communities between Dublin and Drogheda. It is great to see public transport projects progressing and achieving the Government's goal to provide more sustainable transport options to the greater Dublin area in line with Government policy. I apologise to the Deputy that I did not have a copy of the script for him, but I am happy to give him my script.
Defence Forces
Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas ag ghabháil leis an Cheann Comhairle as ucht an ábhair tábhachtach seo a roghnú. Tréaslaím ar an gcéad dul síos leis an mbeirt Aire Stáit, mo chairde Jerry Buttimer agus Neale Richmond, atá i láthair. Tá mé cinnte go ndéanfaidh siad sár-jab sna poist atá acu agus leis na dualgais atá acu le comhlíonadh. Tréaslaím chomh maith leis an Teachta nua ó Chill Dara Thuaidh, mo comhghleacaí, Aodhán Ó Fearghaíl.
The Curragh is an almost 5,000 acre plain located between Newbridge, Kildare and Kilcullen. It is a limestone plain that lies over a massive aquifer with the potential to supply water to many parts of the county and perhaps the country. It is a valuable national and local resource. We have a problem, which has existed for many years in some aspects, insofar as it is used, quite correctly, by the bloodstock sector, the sheep farming sector, by the Defence Forces and for recreation and amenity purposes by the public, but there has never been any effective control or management of those uses. I would not want to see any of those uses inhibited but I would like to see them managed. In the past six or eight years, however, we have seen a new phenomenon develop where hordes of caravans descend upon the Curragh plains between the months of June and, last year, October. In the early years they could be numbered in the dozens. There were almost uncountable numbers present in 2024 at a variety of locations across the Curragh plains. The cost of the clean-up after this unauthorised holiday camp was eventually vacated was something of the order of €190,000 just for one year.
Could anyone in this Chamber imagine the Phoenix Park being invaded and turned into an unofficial holiday camp? Could anyone imagine it with the lakes of Killarney, Glenveagh National Park, or any other resource of similar importance in the country? No, they could not, and it would never happen. Why would it never happen? Because there is an effective management structure in place for those resources. No such resource exists in respect of the Curragh.
In 2015, I published a Bill attempting to set out criteria under which a consultative body could at least be appointed. This would have been made up of the interested users and would have included Kildare County Council. The programme for Government says that the Government will operate a conservation plan for the Curragh and will seek to identify the agency best suited to manage the historic plains. I have no doubt but that my constituency colleague, the Minister, Deputy Heydon, who was one of the negotiators of the programme for Government, was instrumental in ensuring that provision was included in the plan. It is great to have it there. The plan for Government is full of wonderful aspirations but this is one that must be acted on urgently. We cannot have a recurrence in 2025 of what we had in Kildare in 2024. When is there going to be action? There needs to be effective action before June of this year.
I take this debate on behalf of the Tánaiste as his Minister of State. If it is appropriate, I will pay credit to the Deputy for his time in the Chair and for his mentoring and guidance of new TDs the first time they rose in a debate like this. My first Topical Issue was during the height of the first lockdown of the Covid pandemic. These are far more comfortable surroundings for those who will be making their first interventions.
As State land vested in the Minister for Defence, the Curragh is recognised as a working environment for the State's Defence Forces as well as being a place of historical and cultural importance. The main occupiers are the Defence Forces at the Curragh Camp and the Curragh Racecourse, which leases a large tract of land. In addition, the plains are used by sheep owners who avail of rights of pasture on the lands and both locals and visitors to Kildare as a major natural amenity that I am sure we have all enjoyed at various times.
By our measurement, the Curragh is 4,870 acres and it is one of the most open and accessible areas in the country. While I would not wish to see this level of accessibility diminished, as a public representative, I know the Deputy is acutely aware that this has presented a number of challenges for management, which he has laid out, in respect of illegal camping and also in respect of illegal dumping. It is not just the camping; there are other impacts.
Many illegal encampments were set up over the course of the summer months of 2024. This caused a great deal of disruption and anxiety for local stakeholders, as the Deputy has alluded to. The Department of Defence does not accept that those occupying these encampments have any right to reside on the Curragh Plains and, as such, has been engaged with the CSSO in anticipation of any potential trespassing to ensure that all legal steps are taken promptly to protect the plains. In the case of trespass or criminal damage, it is the responsibility of An Garda Síochána to police the situation. The Department of Defence has already engaged with An Garda on this issue.
With a view to addressing these challenges in the longer term, as the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Defence is working to ensure that we move to a modern and sustainable regulatory model in managing this historically important landscape. As the Deputy will be aware, for the past several years, the Department of Defence has been collaborating with Kildare County Council on the Curragh consultancy project, seeking to develop a suitable future management method and to highlight the importance and significance of the plains. The project came to completion in December 2024 when the Curragh Plains conservation management plan and the associated branding, interpretation and wayfinding strategy were published. The consultation process identified the need for a review of the Curragh by-laws and the Curragh of Kildare Act and potential amendments to provide effective solutions to the challenges faced. The report also identified the need to consider a dedicated agency responsible for the Curragh or to assign responsibility for the site to an existing agency with the necessary expertise.
Throughout the project, both the Department of Defence and Kildare County Council remained cognisant of the need to have in place a means of ensuring the conservation of this ancient landscape while also enabling the area to receive the recognition it deserves. The plan laid out opportunities through which the area can be uniquely identified and also scoped out the development potential of the area as a high-value visitor attraction. It also aims to balance the needs of the various users.
This Government is committed to the implementation of these recommendations to address both the opportunities and the challenges, as can be seen by its inclusion in the programme for Government, which the Deputy alluded to. I appreciate his magnanimous reference to my colleague, Deputy Heydon, which is merited. However, it is also a reflection of Deputy Ó Fearghaíl's consistent advocacy in this area and the draft legislation he produced in 2015. I thank the Deputy again for raising this question and I assure him that it is the intention of the Tánaiste to ensure that the Curragh Plains are protected into the future as an important element of our shared heritage while we also ensure maximum benefit to the local population and those who come to visit. On the Deputy's question as to the timeline, I cannot provide an exact timeline at the moment but it is a pressing need and the Minister for Defence intends to intervene.
I acknowledge the fact that, having raised this on Questions on Promised Legislation last week, the Tánaiste subsequently spoke to me and indicated that it was a priority for him. However, I have to stress that the wheels of democracy and of our systems move very slowly. I also put it to the Minister of State that the Department of Defence has been remiss in dealing with An Garda Síochána. As far as I am concerned, An Garda Síochána has been active in trying to deal with the situation that has existed. There is a High Court order dating back 20 years that empowers An Garda and the Department of Defence to do something about illegal encampments. When it came to the crunch, the Department of Defence told An Garda to do nothing and not to proceed. We cannot continue to do nothing. Something must be put in place before this summer comes. We cannot allow this to happen. It is not just about the degradation of the plains, the real damage that is being done to the bloodstock industry or the impeding of the recreational use of the Curragh; it is about the risks that arise from large-scale unauthorised development of any nature taking place in an area where there is a total lack of control. That is the particular problem. If something happens and somebody is injured or hurt or if some other travesty occurs, we will all be very seriously concerned but the point is that we now have a short period of time in which to take action. I urge that action be taken immediately.
I thank Deputy Ó Fearghaíl for his supplementary contribution. For the information of the House, as the Minister with responsibility for defence, the Tánaiste is the custodian and guardian of the Curragh lands pursuant to the provisions of the Curragh of Kildare Act 1961. Under that Act, the Curragh Plains are recognised as a working environment for the State's Defence Forces as well as being a place of historical and cultural importance.
As I have already stated, the Tánaiste remains absolutely and fully committed to pursuing a modern and sustainable regulatory model in managing the historically important landscape that is the Curragh. The Curragh Plains conservation management plan, having been finalised and published in December 2024, is currently under consideration by officials in the Department of Defence. I take on board the Deputy's very sincere concern that this needs to be considered and acted upon in advance of the summer months. I will take that back to the Tánaiste but, as already alluded to, he is well aware of the need for this to be acted on swiftly. The conservation management plan will provide the foundation for implementing the recommendations identified, including the progression of that management. Any such proposals will be brought before Government to decide on a future management structure. I reiterate that it is the intention of the Tánaiste to ensure that the Curragh Plains are protected into the future while we also ensure maximum benefit. It is simply unacceptable that nothing is done. Something very serious has to be done. The Tánaiste and the Government have accepted that. Work has commenced on doing that and on making sure the plan is implemented and enforced. Enforcement will be key to this. I fully take on board the comments the Deputy has made regarding court orders but I will not delve too far into them. He will understand why more than anyone else in this House would. I will raise this with the Tánaiste again tomorrow and I will make sure the Deputy is kept fully abreast of the matter.
Mental Health Services
For 17 years since its inception in 2007, SOSAD Ireland has provided a crisis lifeline for people struggling with suicidal ideation, self-harm, depression, bereavement, stress and anxiety through the provision of free confidential counselling in-person and remotely, a 24-7 freephone helpline and an online messaging service. This work is supported by a team of 206 volunteer counsellors across Ireland but, without core funding and promised Government intervention, this service - as the Minister of State is aware - is at risk of imminent closure.
Last year in October, during mental health awareness month, a Sinn Féin delegation of which I was a member, met with SOSAD representatives here in Leinster House. Following this, on the floor of the House our spokesperson for mental health, Deputy Mark Ward, raised the crisis facing the organisation directly with the Minister of State. He sought urgent Government intervention. Collectively as a group, we then wrote to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and asked her to meet the group and to facilitate a meeting between the HSE and SOSAD. A positive meeting took place between the Minister of State and SOSAD in early November 2024. This gave the group hope and, crucially, its members were given a personal commitment by the Minister of State on the provision of interim funding to keep the doors open while the group explored sustainability options with the HSE. Since then, unfortunately, the group has had no contact from the Minister of State, no answer to phone calls or emails and no word on the delivery of the promised funding that is desperately needed to keep SOSAD going.
SOSAD's first meeting with the HSE took place in January 2025 and the group is now actively engaging with it and planning for sustainable future funding. However, this will not be possible if it cannot keep the doors open in the meantime. With only a few thousand euro in the bank today, the hope of continuing to firefight is looking more bleak by the minute. Interim funding is essential for SOSAD's survival until it can secure long-term sustainable supports from the HSE. I have written to the Minister of State since November, as has my party leader and our party spokesperson on mental health. Other colleagues around the country have done the same. I have met with SOSAD several times in its Drogheda offices, where I saw the importance of the service at first hand.
For context, I will quickly put on record some of the statistics that will prove, if it was ever in doubt, how invaluable this service is to my home town of Drogheda, throughout Louth and the north east, and nationwide. In 2024, the service offered more than 23,000 counselling sessions to more than 1,900 individual clients from 28 counties and 150 different nationalities. The office in Drogheda facilitated more than 8,000 sessions; in Meath nearly 5,000; in Cavan nearly 3,000; in Laois nearly 3,000; in Dundalk more than 2,000 and in Monaghan more than 1,200. Almost 4% of its clients are under the age of 18. Some 32% are younger than 25 years. A further 25% are aged between 26 and 35, so almost 57% of these people are under the age of 35. Approximately 65% of SOSAD's clients are female and 34% are male. Its helpline offered approximately 250 hours of support last year. It is simply unthinkable and unacceptable that any Minister or Government is prepared to gamble with such vital community-based mental health supports.
The interim emergency funding that was promised must be urgently provided. The Minister of State has an opportunity to intervene here, at the eleventh hour, before it is too late. I plead with her to engage with SOSAD as a matter of urgency and make good on her commitments.
I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter in the House this evening. I am very familiar with the work of Save Our Sons And Daughters, or SOSAD, which makes a significant contribution to the provision of counselling services in north-east Leinster. It is important that this be acknowledged, as I have done previously.
SOSAD is not currently funded by HSE Louth Meath Mental Health Services. I am aware that, in August 2023, SOSAD applied for section 39 funding. This was not progressed at the time, as HSE Louth Meath Mental Health Services were not procuring new services, given that all funding had been allocated in line with the HSE national service plan.
I understand that, last year, SOSAD's financial situation deteriorated due to a reduction in fundraising and donations. We saw that a lot around the country post Covid. This was brought to my attention in autumn and I met with SOSAD in November. As the Deputy stated, we had a very good meeting. Officials from the Department of Health were also present to discuss the situation. I was very clear at the time. I asked for an amount of interim funding to be provided to help get SOSAD over the Christmas period, following which it could meet with the HSE and try to agree a service-level agreement going forward.
Funding to organisations such as SOSAD is arranged through the section 39 process via local HSE mental health services. It is not directly allocated by me. Following the meeting, I requested that HSE staff from the Louth-Meath area would make contact with SOSAD to outline the steps to be taken for any potential funding application. I accept that the initial contact was slow. It was slower than I would have liked. When I came back after the election, it was one of the first things I checked. I am glad that HSE Louth-Meath has been in direct contact with SOSAD for approximately two months now. My office receives regular updates on these engagements.
As per any negotiations between the HSE and any charity or organisation, there is a requirement to provide information such as audited accounts, annual reports, governance arrangements and board of management details, so that the HSE can undertake due diligence as part of its consideration of any potential funding arrangements. That applies to all NGOs and organisations funded by the HSE through the mental health budget.
I understand that SOSAD is now working to provide all of the relevant information to the HSE. However, I take on board the point Deputy Byrne makes that, while SOSAD is trying to provide this information, it is in a critical situation. The HSE in the Louth-Meath area is supporting SOSAD in its readiness to meet the corporate and clinical governance requirements. Deputy Byrne referred to the 206 volunteers and how the organisation had been in place for 17 years. I accept and acknowledge all the good work SOSAD does, but there are requirements to be met in order for us to fund any individual organisation to provide supports. With 206 volunteers, clinical governance and corporate governance are essential in order to receive State funding. That is the case across any organisation.
Nationally, a key objective of mine is to improve access to counselling and to enhance supports for suicide and suicide bereavement. I have allocated additional funding for these services this year.
I was struck by Deputy Byrne's comment about the gender breakdown of approximately 65% female, 35% male. We see that all over the country, whereby two thirds of all mental health services are accessed by females and only one third by males. That is a real challenge. I will come back in again.
I thank the Minister of State for her response. It was very heartfelt. I believe she understands the sentiment and the urgency of this. The stark reality is that this organisation is in a very vulnerable position. Its closure would be a devastating loss to thousands of people. What is more, I do not believe the HSE and other service providers would be able to fill that gap in its absence in the long term and certainly not in the short term.
Mental health issues and suicide are so prevalent in our society that most people in any room at any given time have been impacted by it in some way, either themselves or through their nearest and dearest. It is, without a doubt, a dark cloud hanging over us and it is never too far away. Lives lost through suicide are probably one form of death that is preventable. It is organisations like SOSAD that play a significant part in preventing many tragic losses. The question is whether these lives are worth saving. If they are, then that intervention is needed now. It is my understanding that the interim funding discussed by the Minister of State and SOSAD was immediate stopgap funding until the compliance and governance procedures that the Minister of State outlined could be met with the HSE. SOSAD is doing that. The downfall seems to be this stopgap funding.
I urge the Minister of State to at least engage in dialogue with SOSAD immediately, advise it on what steps can be taken next and seek out, through her colleagues and counterparts, something to keep its doors open. I have got the commitment from SOSAD and I can guarantee her that the requirements on compliance and governance will be met. All procedures will be thorough and due process will be followed. However, SOSAD will not have time to do that if we cannot keep the doors open, and lives will be lost.
I thank the Deputy for her advocacy on behalf of the SOSAD suicide prevention group. I do not want to see this service close. I cannot be clearer than that. I understand how uncertainty around services can be very distressing for service users and their families. SOSAD is providing vital supports to many.
I reiterate the point that I do not negotiate with individual organisations myself. It is the HSE that is provided with the budget and it actions that budget to provide support and services all over the country. In order for that to happen, grant aid agreements with any organisation must be compliant with relevant governance codes and aligned to transparent financial arrangements such as audited accounts. To this end, relevant due diligence must be carried out.
Specifically, HSE Louth Meath Mental Health Services has requested information on corporate and clinical governance in line with HSE policies and has provided guidance on the work that SOSAD will need to undertake to comply with the policies ahead of consideration of HSE funding of SOSAD. This will take time. I recognise the frustration and challenges of SOSAD; however, these steps are essential and the HSE is not in a position to provide funding in the absence of assurances on corporate and clinical governance.
I have explored every single avenue I can to get some interim funding for the organisation, but the HSE keeps telling me it is not in a position to provide funding in the absence of the assurances on corporate and clinical governance. The HSE remains available to SOSAD should any further guidance on the necessary work be needed. I have engaged with my officials weekly since Christmas on SOSAD. It is top of the agenda. I want to see SOSAD continue doing its good work. I will keep a really close eye on this.
Primary Care Centres
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. She is familiar with this issue. As she knows, I have raised it in the Seanad regularly and I have been in regular correspondence with the Department and HSE. She will know that access to GP care is a huge issue, particularly in north Wexford and south Wicklow. North Wexford, in particular, is one of the fastest growing areas of the country. During the general election campaign, which we talked about before, the question of access to health services, particularly to GPs, was a major factor. There are waiting lists for existing surgeries. The surgeries provide a good service but they cannot take on any more patients. The Minister of State will also be very familiar with the challenges around CAMHS and the children’s disability network team.
While there are two existing surgeries, primary care centres, in 2010 or 2011 the concept of a new primary care centre for Gorey and north Wexford was advanced. By 2018, even though several us had been raising the fact that there would be problems with a particular site, planning permission was granted for it. In spite of the problems being raised continually, the HSE chose to continue. By May 2020, as there had been no progress, I raised the issue as a Commencement matter in the Seanad and through correspondence, as the Minister of State will know. The response to the Commencement matter at the time was that the Minister had been told a contractor had been appointed and, indeed, that construction would begin within 12 months. Having gone from May 2021 to May 2022, when there had been no progress, I got the exact same answer. I was told then that construction would commence within 12 months. In November 2022, when it was no surprise that no construction had commenced, HSE correspondence stated it would be treated as a priority. By November 2023, when we saw that there had been no progress on the priority for 12 months, I arranged a meeting with the then Minister, Stephen Donnelly, and HSE officials. I always recall Mr. Donnelly's response and thank him for it. He said that even in spite of the delays and cost overruns, the national children’s hospital would be finished quicker than the new primary care centre in Gorey. I agreed with him. This Minister, in fairness to him, intervened directly, such that in May 2024, 13 to 14 years after the original idea was conceived, the HSE relented and accepted that the existing site was not suitable.
Regarding what we were being told was an immediate priority, expressions of suitable interest were finally advertised in November 2024. I have been told, including in response to a parliamentary question and in correspondence I have had with the HSE from January, that following a discussion with stakeholders on the revised health service needs within the area, we would see the tender for the provision of a primary care centre advertised on the eTenders procurement platform in mid-quarter 1 2025. I am not sure how anyone else would define mid-quarter 1 2025 but to me it is around now. I would be grateful if the Minister of State could inform the House and, more important, the people in north Wexford, who have been waiting for the service for a long time, whether the tender is about to be advertised and whether we will finally see a primary care centre under construction, hopefully, by the end of this year or at least during 2026.
I thank the Deputy for his question. This is my first time speaking to him as a Deputy. Congratulations.
The Minister for Health has asked me to thank the Deputy for raising these matters and for the opportunity to update the Dáil on these important issues. The Government is clear that primary care centres are a very important part of the infrastructure needed for our health service. They provide a single point of access to healthcare services for patients in communities and are central to moving significant amounts of healthcare away from our acute hospitals. Significant progress has been made in the delivery of primary care centres, with 179 opened to date.
The need for a new primary care centre in Gorey was identified as part of the overall primary care centre development programme and had progressed under the operational lease model. However, the selected provider encountered difficulties regarding viability of the project and, following engagement to attempt to resolve the issues, the HSE decided last year to withdraw from this process and re-advertise in order to progress a primary care centre for Gorey.
The HSE conducted a review of the current and future service needs for the Gorey area, and it re-advertised the primary care centre on the eTenders procurement platform in November 2024, which is the first step in the procurement process. The second step in this process will involve publishing the next stage of the advertisement to eTenders before the end of this month. I await the publication of the e-tenders because a bundle of primary care centres is included, one being in Lismore, in my area. I have met the new regional executive officer of that area, Martina Queally, regarding capital projects in the south-east area. She has a new team in place. An analysis has been done of every single project and how each can be moved along as quickly as possible.
The second step in the process will involve publishing the next stage of the advertisement on eTenders before the end of this month. We will keep a very close eye on this.
On the issue the Deputy raised regarding measures being taken to address the shortage of GPs in north Wexford and south Wicklow, under the GMS scheme the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. Where a vacancy arises in a practice with a GMS contract, the HSE becomes actively involved in the recruitment process to find a replacement GP. As of December last, there were 21 GMS vacancies, which is less than 1%, and no vacancies in Wexford or Wicklow.
A number of measures have been taken in recent years to increase the number of GPs practising across the country and to improve access to GP services for all patients. Annual intake to the GP training scheme was significantly increased by approximately 80% from 2019 to 2024, with 350 new entrant places made available from 2024. Everybody will welcome this but I acknowledge that it takes several years for them to come on stream.
Furthermore, the recruitment of GPs from abroad is ongoing. As of October last, there were 114 international medical graduate GPs in practice, and funding has been provided to recruit up to 250 more GPs from outside Ireland this year. Placement of these GPs is targeted at rural and underserved areas.
The Minister wishes to assure the Deputy that this Government remains committed to both the continued development of primary care centres, including in Gorey, and to increasing the number of GPs practising throughout the country.
I thank the Minister of State. As she knows, I am always very happy when she is here answering questions, because of her honesty. I wish her well in her role. I very much acknowledge the 179 primary care centres that have been opened to date. We have seen excellent primary care centres, in Carnew, Arklow and Enniscorthy, but my question is why the people of Gorey and north Wexford, one of the fastest growing areas in the country, should continue to be without a new primary care centre. In the inter-census period 2016 to 2022, we saw in the Gorey electoral area population growth of 14%. It is not fair that we continue to have to wait for progress on this matter, frankly because of HSE incompetence that means it did not take action in spite of locals and local representatives, including me, raising it over the years. I am prepared to give the new team that is in place, which was mentioned by the Minister of State, some space to move on this, but I will not tolerate any further delays.
I will seek to regularly come into the House to raise this issue.
I appreciate the programme that has been made with regard to additional recruitment of GPs and the training programme. This is very welcome. I get the point about the GMS scheme, but this is even about people wanting to be able to access a GP privately. It is not uncommon for somebody to be told they will have to wait three, four or five weeks, or longer, to access a GP in Gorey, and the existing GP surgeries cannot take on any new patients. We therefore see large numbers of people moving into the area without having access to a GP, and it is a really significant problem.
The need for a new primary care centre in Gorey was identified as part of the overall development programme and had progressed. The Deputy mentioned HSE incompetence, but the selected provider encountered difficulties regarding viability of the project. More than one project was involved; I know that for a fact. This is under an operational lease model. It is a new model the HSE is undertaking to deliver these primary care centres. In fairness, as regards the fact that the selected provider encountered difficulties regarding viability of this project and others, it was back to the drawing board and it had to be retendered before Christmas. I was as frustrated as the Deputy when I heard this news. Quite a few primary care centres in the south east are included in that. We will keep a very close eye to make sure that it is up on eTenders before the end of the month. We will all welcome that progress, seeing as there are two Deputies and the Ceann Comhairle from the south east in the room at the moment.
I reiterate that every effort is being made to provide as many GPs as possible. From 2023 to 2027, between 1.5 and three GP graduates will onboard for every expected GP retirement, and that is really positive. However, I take on board the point the Deputy made. There are some areas with significant challenges, huge waiting lists and people having to wait longer for GPs than they ever had to do previously, and it can be very frustrating. It is difficult for people when they move into a new area. If they do not have a medical card, they can find it hard to become part of a GP practice. We are aware of that. The only way we can resolve it is by having extra GPs, and please God they will come on stream as soon as possible.
I thank the Deputy. I have no doubt I will be back in here again to answer about Gorey primary care centre.
I hope not, Minister. I thank Members.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 4.53 p.m. go dtí 2 p.m., Dé Máirt, an 18 Feabhra 2025.
The Dáil adjourned at 4.53 p.m. until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 18 February 2025.