I wish to raise the urgent need to progress the primary care centre for Cahersiveen in County Kerry and indeed south Kerry. The people of the Iveragh Peninsula have waited a long time for this facility and they are anxious that no unnecessary delays will occur. This centre is essential to improving local healthcare and easing the pressures on local families on the peninsula. The new centre will bring a wide range of services together under one roof. It will provide GP care, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language, psychology, mental health supports, dental and disability services. This will make a major difference and will be hugely welcomed.

People will be able to access care closer to home. As I said, it is in rural Kerry. It is down south and is further away from Tralee and University Hospital Kerry. Its opening will reduce long journeys and help people stay healthy in their own community. The centre will also link with the new local ambulance base, which has been mentioned and already has funding in place. This will shorten emergency response times and create a more joined-up system for care in the region.

The project has moved forward in recent years with design work completed and planning permission secured. What the community needs now is clarity. People want to know when construction will begin and an estimated time for when the doors will finally open. For that reason, I call on the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to come to this House to clarify the issues that I have raised and to give the people of Cahersiveen reassurance that all relevant stakeholders, especially the HSE, are engaging productively to progress this project in a timely manner. There are local concerns about this. I want clarity that the HSE is engaging and that it is not the obstacle to this primary care centre being delivered for the people of south Kerry.