Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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13. To ask the Minister for Health to provide an update on the status of the primary care centre in Glanmire, Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25702/24]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Minister provide an update on the status of the primary care centre in Glanmire?

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy and acknowledge his ongoing work, advocacy and interaction with me to ensure this essential primary care service in Glanmire will remain a Government priority and be opened.

The provision of the new primary care centre in Glanmire is an absolute priority for the Government and the HSE. The centres, as the Deputy will be aware, play an essential role in providing integrated care and, critically, providing it to people in their own communities rather than making them travel to a hospital. The primary care centre in Glanmire is to be delivered via an operational lease mechanism and, following a selection process, a preferred solution was identified. A letter of intent issued to the developer in April of last year. There has been positive engagement between the HSE and the developer to move towards an agreement for lease.

The developer has confirmed to the HSE it is intended to lodge a planning application in the third quarter of this year, in the coming months. It is very welcome news that progress is being made on the development of the Glanmire primary care centre and it is expected to move soon to a planning application stage, which is very positive. I assure the Deputy my Department is very actively engaged with the HSE to progress the further development of the primary care centre in Glanmire and, indeed, of others throughout the country.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister and appreciate the update. As he will be aware, Glanmire is a fairly large community on the eastern side of Cork city, whose population, depending on how widely the area is measured, comprises 30,000-plus people, so it is critical we get that primary care centre delivered as soon as possible. The Minister of State, Deputy Colm Burke, and I visited the one in Ballincollig, on the western side of the city, last year, when the Tánaiste was cutting the ribbon on it. The services it provides for people there, such as eye care and outreach through Cork University Maternity Hospital, CUMH, are critical and have reduced the pressure on the nearby acute hospitals.

It is welcome we are still on track to be in a position to submit a planning application soon, and I urge the Minister to stay on top of it. The planning application was initially to be submitted in quarter 2, and while that has gone back to quarter 3, I would rather we got it right because, as we learned in the case of Blarney, not too far away, it is better to get it right than rush it. I urge the Minister to keep on top of it.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I have no doubt the Deputy will make sure I stay on top of this. I fully agree that these centres make a huge difference to the local community and we do need to get it right. In order that people are aware, when it has opened, the services we are going to have at the primary care centre in Glanmire will include public health nursing services, primary care physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy, dietetics, podiatry and home support services, so this really is going to be important for the constituency and the community. It is now full steam ahead to get in this planning application. We are ready and there has been very constructive and positive engagement with the developer. The centres that have been built are fantastic. I know that the Deputy has visited many of them, and he referred to the Ballincollig one. It is full steam ahead for Glanmire.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister. As he outlined, the comprehensive services that will be provided at the centre will be most welcome. I understand that a number of GPs are waiting patiently to see whether they can locate themselves there. It will be a fantastic facility when it is eventually built.

Separately, while the Minister might not have a response to hand, we are also awaiting a primary care centre in Mayfield, which is only a few miles up the road from Glanmire. It is not at as advanced a stage as the centre there, but the Minister might follow up with an update on it in writing if he does not have a response to hand.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I will certainly ask the Department to revert to the Deputy on the Mayfield primary care centre as a matter of urgency. I echo his positive comments about the new ophthalmology services out of Ballincollig. For many years in Cork, circumstances simply have not been acceptable, whereby people could not get access to cataract appointments in a timely manner, but we are making that a thing of the past and the investment in Ballincollig is one really important part of that. Further investment in ophthalmology is going on in the elective hospital in the city as well. Our intention, and we are now on the way, is that everyone in Cork who needs to be able to access cataract procedures or other eye care will be able to get that in a timely manner in their own county.