A number of locations confirmed by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly as vaccination centres have said the deal wasn’t finalised with them – including one in the Minister’s own constituency.
The fiasco first emerged earlier today, when the manager of the Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow said he was surprised to learn the hotel was listed as a vaccination hub as he did not receive any confirmation.
Now the HSE and Minister Donnelly have done a U-turn and said a different site – the Barrow Centre in IT Carlow – is “being prepared” as the county’s jab centre.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Michael Walsh, the general manager of the Seven Oaks Hotel, said he was “disappointed” at the news that the hotel would not now be helping with the roll-out, but said he was glad there was clarity.
Sources in IT Carlow said they were aware the premises were being scoped out.
Minister Donnelly said on Monday that the HSE had confirmed to him that these 37 sites had been picked.
But a number of other venues, including one in the Minister’s own constituency, have said they are “annoyed” at the announcement given that “no deal was done.”
Gabriel Dooley of Dooley Auctioneers in Greystones, Co Wicklow said he was contacted by HSE officials last week to help them find a suitable venue.
Mr Dooley said their service provides property and project management and had looked at a number of venues including the Charlesland Golf Club in Greystones – which was on the list released by the Minister and the HSE.
However, he said the announcement left him and the owners annoyed because “nothing was concrete.”
He said the HSE has yet to make contact with them.
When the Irish Mirror contacted the centres on the list distributed by the Department of Health, a number of venues didn’t want to comment on whether they had been consulted prior to the announcement and claimed they had been advised by the HSE to redirect any media queries to them.
The press release on Monday flagged that contracts for two of the venues listed – Longford Slashers GAA and Faithful Field GAA Centre in Offaly – were yet to be finalised.
Asked why the Minister and the HSE released a list stating 37 centres had been confirmed, the HSE said the list was “subject to change” and the situation was “fluid.”
A spokesman for Minister Donnelly said today: “The plan was always intended to be agile and iterative.
“Through the HSE we have committed to opening centres in each of the population centres identified.
“In the vast majority of cases we have agreed contracts and construction work has commenced in over 80% of them.”
