Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. Can he give an indication as to when we should expect the extension of the scheme to this particular age group? I very much welcome the advances in the cancer screening regime, which is having a significant impact in terms of earlier detections. The diabetic retinal screening programme that was launched last year is another welcome development. I acknowledge the difficult reality of limited resources, but the bottom line is that these schemes save money in the long run. Will the extension of BreastCheck be rolled out this year, as promised, or does the Minister have expectations for next year? If not, is it likely to happen at all in the lifetime of this Government? I am sure the Minister will refer to budgets in his reply, but I urge him to examine how the funding can be found for this very important programme.