Dr. Colm Henry:

On survival rates, the Senator is right. However, we have seen improvements. Looking broadly at what feeds those improvements, it is screening programmes. For some of the cancers the Senator mentioned, it is also early diagnostic programmes and rapid access clinics. About half of those cancers are diagnosed through rapid access clinics, which we have for lung, prostate and breast cancer. There was a drop-off through the pandemic, particularly the first year and couple of months, in attendance at rapid access clinics. There was also a troubling drop-off, as there has been in other countries, in diagnosed cancers in 2020. The National Cancer Registry Ireland, NCRI, recorded a 15% drop in cancers in 2020, which suggests these cancers may present, as in other countries, at a later stage where they are perhaps more advanced and need more complicated treatment.

One of the actions we took in a national sense during the pandemic was to invest in and resource the rapid access clinics, to maintain as high a level of access as possible and ensure people did not present later in an upgraded fashion. We invested in our cancer services with successive winter plans throughout the pandemic in order to address the drop-off in presentations. In addition, there was a drop-off in surgical and diagnostic procedures, which was particularly marked in 2020. In 2021, there was a catch-up nationally in attendance at rapid access clinics. There was an increase in attendance, particularly at breast clinics, and there was a catch-up to the expected 2019 figures with regard to other cancer-related activity, be that diagnostic activity, chemotherapy or surgical activity.

I cannot answer the Senator's question with respect to the particular investment in Galway. I will come back to him with a specific note on it.