Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)

The Fine Gael motion relates to screening for cervical and breast cancer through BreastCheck. The Government amendment only refers to services for breast cancer and cancer services generally which is not the purpose of our motion.

The Tánaiste knows that one in four men and women will get cancer at some stage in their lives. In focusing on cancer which affects women and which can be screened before it affects them, we should look at our near neighbours in Northern Ireland. Breast cancer screening has been available in Northern Ireland for more than a decade while cervical cancer screening has been available in Northern Ireland and the UK for almost three decades. In the Republic, breast cancer screening is available to only half of the women and there is no national cervical screening programme. Many people believe there is a cervical screening programme in the Limerick region but it is only a pilot programme.

Some 20 years ago, the mortality rates for cervical cancer here, that is, the number of people who died as a result of it, were half the rates of the United Kingdom. That has as much to do with the risk factors associated with cervical cancer as anything else. Now across all the regions of the UK mortality rates for cervical cancer are lower than those in Ireland. In the UK, the numbers of people dying from cervical cancer has dropped dramatically over the past 20 years but the numbers of people dying from it in this country have increased. This is a fact and the Government must face up to it. There is no point burying one's head in the sand. It is the reason doctors are calling for screening. We are trying to prevent cancer before it takes hold of people's bodies and destroys their lives through death or serious illness. That is why the Tánaiste and the Government must take this seriously. It is the responsibility of Government and not, as Deputy Devins tried to imply, of the Health Service Executive.

As has been pointed out by speakers from Donegal, Mayo, Cork and the south east, the lack of radiotherapy services has led to more radical surgery being carried out on a number of women. They do not want to endure the journeys necessary in order to avail of radiotherapy services. Some people have endured considerable sickness from chemotherapy because their cancer was at a stage which required much more serious treatment. The Tánaiste knows that women must have glands removed and get radiation burns and all sorts of side effects because their cancer is diagnosed too late.

Some younger women are outside the remit of the cancer screening programme. However, if we had a good screening programme and encouraged people to think about screening, they would look after their health. We might be lucky and people might present themselves to doctors for opportunistic screening even if they are outside those age groups because they would be aware of what was going on. That is what we are trying to teach people in regard to screening. There is a considerable public health element to this, that is, teaching people to take responsibility for their own health, as well as providing a screening programme which prevents diseases such as these. These are terrible diseases. Cervical cancer, which is the most amazing can be diagnosed and cured very satisfactorily before it becomes a problem. In the diagnosis of cervical cancer there is what is called CIN, 1, 2 and 3 and carcinoma in situ can still be treated before making a diagnosis of cancer 1, 2 or 3. Effectively, it is an illness we can deal with. The same goes for breast cancer.

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