Mr. Michael Conroy:

The national cancer strategy is working. We have touched on some of the prevention measures. In the past, people accepted the dangers of smoking. They were not as conscious of some of the other dangers associated with cancer, and did not link certain lifestyle issues to cancer. That is changing. We are bringing out a skin cancer prevention plan on 1 May.

With regard to screening, our numbers are up. The breast screening rate last year was 76%, against a target of 70%. On early diagnosis, people are more aware of cancer. Increasingly, they are being encouraged to follow up on lumps or other symptoms. Much work is being done on the provision of diagnostic equipment in our hospitals to handle the numbers coming through. We can do more.

On cancer surgery, improvements in outcomes are very marked owing to the centralisation of services. On radiotherapy, Dr. Coffey mentioned the new centre in Cork that will have five radiotherapy machines, up from four. It will open next year. The building will be finished this year and it will be commissioned in the first quarter of next year. Medical oncology facilities are being improved all the time and expanded, bearing in mind that the number of people coming through is increasing. With regard to the involvement of patients, there is much interaction with them, as there was in the drawing up of the strategy. Patients are our biggest critics in ensuring that the system is working. Their views are spurring us on to ensure it continues to work.

I mentioned the robust review mechanisms to be in place with the NCCP, with which we work closely. It is basically a hand-in-glove approach across the Department and NCCP. The NCCP is pushing implementation all the time across the HSE. We see figures coming through all the time. We try to use any money we get in a judicious way to address any problems.

With regard to funding generally, we will never have enough money. All areas of the health sector and all areas of government always like to have more but what we do have we use very well. We are using funds in a targeted and outcome-oriented way that is followed up and recorded, and from which we see the outcomes. We change allocations in the details to ensure that continues to happen. If something is not working as well, we address that.

There is a third strategy. We are building on a good strategy in the second one. We are into a depth of strategy in cancer services, and that will and can be followed in other areas of the health sector.