Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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38. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development further to Parliamentary Question No. 47 of 9 May 2024, the status of the transfer to her Department of land on Inishbofin on which the airstrip is situated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26981/24]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Téim ar ais arís go cúrsaí na n-oileán leis an Aire agus go háirithe an t-ionad cúraim phríomhúil atá beartaithe ar Inis Bó Finne le 21 bhliain anois, ag dul siar go dtí 2003. I am hoping that the Minister might be telling me that she might be giving me a day for cutting a ribbon on the primary care centre on Inishbofin, just to follow up on her previous theme. It was identified 21 years ago as a necessity and here we are. I ask for an update, please, on the transfer of land to facilitate the building of that.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Connolly also for raising this issue. As the Deputy is aware, the land on which the Inishbofin airstrip is located is currently owned by Galway County Council. These lands were acquired by way of a compulsory purchase order, CPO, by Galway County Council on behalf of the Department. Part of the site is intended for use by the HSE for a primary care centre. The transfer of these lands to my Department has been an ongoing process for a number of years and I appreciate the Deputy’s frustration with the prolonged nature of the transfer.

Officials from my Department met with the Chief State Solicitor's office again last week in an effort to finalise the matter. The Chief State Solicitor's office has set a target of six weeks for the completion of the transfer. This is subject to the full engagement and co-operation of solicitors on behalf of Galway County Council in finalising the matter as soon as possible.

As previously advised, I understand there were outstanding legal and mapping issues, including a recent request from Uisce Éireann in this regard, but I understand all outstanding matters have now been resolved. I understand the Chief State Solicitor's office also has engaged recently with solicitors for the HSE in order to progress the onward transfer of a portion of the site for development of a healthcare centre.

In the meantime, part of the airstrip is being used by the Coast Guard as a helipad in the event of medical emergency evacuations. To further assist with such emergency evacuations, my Department is preparing to issue a request for tender shortly for the provision of permanent lighting and associated works at the helipad. It is expected this work will be completed later this year and will be fully operational in time for the winter.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank the Minister and I appreciate her hands-on approach in this matter but it is also important always to point out that the CLÁR programme in 2003 identified the need for health centre. That is 21 years ago. Then we had the national primary care island services review in 2017, which again absolutely highlighted the need for a primary care centre. We are talking about Inishbofin, an island of just under 200 people.

I welcome.there is now a six weeks' target set. That is the first time I have seen a target so I welcome that. I was going to say that I have persecuted but I have continued tabling questions to the Minister and to the health executive and I am glad that we are making some progress. I am also being told here, which is also good news and I ask that the Minister may comment on it, but I have two letters which are contradictory in a way. One cannot give a timeframe and the next is saying that they intend to appoint a design team in quarter 3 for the design of the primary care centre.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am glad that the Deputy put in the questions because I think if she or I were doing this, we would have it done more quickly, to be honest with the Deputy. When I started looking at this, it has been going on since 9 September 2003. That is when the Department requested Galway County Council to purchase the land. This went through a CPO process. I will not go into it but the Deputy knows the story better than I do. My goodness me, it is taking a long time.

As a Department, we are engaging regularly with Galway County Council. We have been in touch with the HSE and we are engaging with them to move this on because I know that the Chief State Solicitor's office has said that it will have a six-week turnaround. I will try to keep the pressure on and I encourage the Deputy to keep putting in questions and I will keep answering them. I will keep the pressure on from my side but I would also say to the Deputy to keep the pressure on Galway County Council because we have to move this on because I hate to see these things taking so long. We will keep at it and, hopefully, we will get it moved on over the summer.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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A health centre on an island is a most basic requirement. I take heart in what the Minister has said but I have done that before foolishly. I take heart, however, from the fact that we are being told that a design team would be appointed in quarter 3. I note that that is not in the Minister's answer anywhere. We are getting certain information like a jigsaw puzzle. I welcome that a design team will be appointed in quarter 3 but can I trust that, as the Minister does not seem to have that information? We are all getting little pieces of information. Can the Minister confirm for me in the next reply that a design team will be appointed in quarter 3, which would mean that that land must be sorted out? It is all very positive. The county council acquired the land and it must transfer all of it to the Minister's Department and some on to the health executive. It is not that hard to do. Solicitors are being paid along the way in this matter and targets and time limits must be set.

My final question is to ask the Minister when will she be cutting the ribbon on the primary care centre on Inishbofin?

Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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I leave the last word to the Minister.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. There is no doubt about it but that we need the primary care centre on the island. My Department intends to transfer a section of the land to the HSE and we have given the Deputy a timeframe on that. I will ask my officials to respond to the Deputy with an answer on the design team as I do not have that to hand and I will not give the Deputy wrong information. I know that we are engaging with them. I would love to be moving things along more quickly but they do not always go as quickly as she and I would like but that is our job to keep the pressure on to ensure that it happens. I can assure the Deputy that I will do that and I know that the Deputy will do that also so I thank her.