Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing discussion of this important matter for the people of the north-west region, in particular Donegal, which I represent. It is an issue of which members of the public, in particular those who may have a relative who has suffered from cancer and needed radiotherapy services, are only too aware. To have to travel to either Galway or Dublin, as is currently the case, is simply not an acceptable situation for patients coming from Donegal and the north-west region.

In recognition of this issue, a decision was taken by the previous Government to come to an agreement with the Northern Executive to have a radiotherapy unit built at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry. This was on the basis that the Irish Government would contribute to and be a partner in the building of that unit, and would put in place a service agreement in order that patients from the Republic would use the service until 2020. Given the Northern Executive signed up to this agreement with the Irish Government, for the Northern Minister, Mr. McGimpsey, to yesterday unilaterally announce he was not proceeding with the building of this radiotherapy unit is unacceptable.

Why did the Minister, Mr. McGimpsey, make no advance contact with the Department of Health and Children in the Republic to inform it of the situation? How can one enter an agreement and a partnership with others to take a particular course of action and then, without consultation, simply reverse that position? I am disappointed the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy James Reilly, has not taken the time to come to the Chamber today to account for this. Has the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, who is present, or the Minister, Deputy Reilly, had contact with the Northern Minister, Mr. McGimpsey, in this regard? Have they had contact with the Northern Ireland First Minister or Deputy First Minister?

It is not acceptable that the Northern Executive would act in this manner and in such bad faith with the Executive here. It is very important the new Ministers are not soft in this regard. They should not accept this or agree to discuss it down the line. A clear message must be given that this type of action will not be tolerated because it will not just be in regard to cancer services, on which there is current co-operation. There is also cross-Border co-operation in regard to, for example, the construction of the A5 Derry to Aughnacloy road, on which there is agreement between the Northern Executive and the Irish Government. If this is how the people of the north west are to be treated in this situation, it bodes ill for cross-Border co-operation in the future.

There has been much recent investment in Letterkenny General Hospital, particularly in regard to symptomatic breast cancer services, with Letterkenny General Hospital acting as a satellite centre for Galway hospital, so patients in the north west can get the same level of service as they would if they presented in Galway itself. We need to expand this to ensure the investment made in symptomatic breast cancer services and other services in Letterkenny General Hospital is maintained and developed in these difficult times, and also that the service is expanded through the provision of a radiotherapy service in the north west.

I ask the new Government, as a matter of urgency, to contact the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister and the line Minister, Mr. McGimpsey, MLA, on this issue and immediately put in place a timeline to ensure radiotherapy services are developed in Altnagelvin, that the new unit is built and people from County Donegal and the north west region get acceptable access to the radiotherapy and comprehensive cancer services they require.

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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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.