Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

I thank Deputy McConalogue for raising this important issue. I apologise on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Reilly, who had a prior engagement and therefore I am taking this Adjournment matter on his behalf.

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on this issue. The Government is committed to ensuring a high-quality radiotherapy service for the entire population of Ireland and this includes close collaboration with Northern Ireland for services in the north west. Yesterday, the Minister, Deputy Reilly, wrote to his counterpart Minister in the North, Mr. Michael McGimpsey, MLA, to reaffirm this commitment to the Altnagelvin project and to confirm the substantial capital and revenue contribution already promised in respect of radiotherapy patients from the South. On average, approximately 24,000 new cases of invasive cancer, including non-melanoma skin cancer, are diagnosed in Ireland each year. Current trends indicate that the number of cancers diagnosed each year is likely to double in the next 20 years. It is against this background that the HSE's national cancer control programme is being implemented. Its goals are better cancer prevention, detection and survival through a national service, based on evidence and best practice. Part of the programme is the implementation of the national plan for radiation oncology which would provide the national infrastructure for radiation oncology for around the next 25 years and beyond.

Phase 1 of the plan involves the construction of new facilities at Beaumont and St. James's hospitals, with four linear accelerators in each. These new centres have just been completed and will become operational in coming weeks. The two facilities, together with St. Luke's Hospital in Rathgar, now form the St. Luke's Radiation Oncology Network for Dublin mid-Leinster and Dublin north east, increasing the capacity in that region by 50%. This network, together with facilities at Galway University Hospital, Cork University Hospital and services provided under service level agreements with the Whitfield Clinic in Waterford and the Mid Western Hospitals Trust in Limerick will provide sufficient capacity to deal with patient needs until at least 2015. Phase 2 of the NPRO will provide additional radiation oncology capacity at St. James's and Beaumont hospitals, Cork University Hospital and Galway University Hospital, with satellite centres at Limerick Regional and Waterford Regional hospitals.

For patients in the north west, however, the Minister recognises there are particular geographic concerns that need to be addressed. For that reason, he believes that the best option in terms of improving geographic access for these patients to radiotherapy services is to facilitate access to services as part of North-South co-operation on cancer. This approach includes access in the short-term to services at Belfast City Hospital under a service level agreement which has been in place since 2006. We will also continue to progress the proposed joint initiative at Altnagelvin. Given the proximity of Altnagelvin to many areas of County Donegal the centre provides the optimum solution for Donegal patients. The Director of the national cancer control programme agrees that the Altnagelvin development will provide a cost-effective, patient-centred solution to the provision of radiotherapy for Donegal patients who, as the Deputy noted, currently travel long distances to either Galway or St. Luke's in Dublin for treatment.

The Government is committed to working in partnership with our Northern Ireland counterparts on the development of this new facility. It is estimated that Irish patients will comprise roughly one-third of the number of patients who will attend the new centre for radiotherapy services and, therefore, our contribution will equate to approximately one-third of the full cost of the radiotherapy facilities. The HSE's national cancer control programme has nominated relevant experts to the project's working groups and the Minister knows progress is being made in agreeing the clinical output specifications for the project. The proposed development at Altnagelvin is substantial in scale, with high capital and revenue costs because of the highly specialist and complex nature of the services which will be provided. The Minister recognises the matter is being brought forward through the usual business case process within the Northern Ireland health services and my Department will continue to provide all the information needed to help the planning process to continue.

The Minister is happy to reaffirm the Government's commitment to this vital radiotherapy project which will benefit cancer patients on both sides of the Border. I reiterate he has written to the Minister, Mr. McGimpsey, MLA, confirming our support, both practical and financial, in this regard. In the knowledge that up to 50% of patients may need radiotherapy at some time during their cancer journey and that the number of cancer patients will double over the next 20 years, we need to plan now for effective treatment so that patients can avail of appropriate treatments in the future. The Minister looks forward to continued collaboration on this and other projects of benefit to patients in both jurisdictions.

The Deputy can be assured of our commitment to the project. No later than yesterday, the Minister was in touch with the relevant Ministers in Northern Ireland.

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