Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The Minister will understand why the subject of cancer care services is topical. He will know that there was a protest outside the Dáil last week, organised by various community organisations and cancer sufferers from the south east. Why is there interminable drift of the cancer care strategy? Why did the previous Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, promise the extension nationwide of BreastCheck screening for 2002 initially, and, latterly, for 2005? Neither date has been met. Thirteen counties in the west, the north west and the south continue to have no BreastCheck facility, despite the promises of Deputy Martin. It took Deputy Martin two years to finally publish the Hollywood report on radiotherapy services in 2003. He then commissioned another report, involving international experts, to resolve the issue of radiotherapy services in Dublin. That report was received in January but it still has not been published. Those who are in need of radiotherapy had to come to Dublin last week to protest outside the Dáil. Suitable transport facilities in the absence of local radiotherapy services have not been provided. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, will know about the long-standing campaign in the south east, yet there is no response to that.

Why is it that nobody in Government seems able to make a decision on this issue, as with many other issues, as Deputy Kenny noted? Being pugnacious in the misrepresentation of statistics does not change the written word contained in the assessment of the Comptroller and Auditor General. When will the BreastCheck screening facility be extended nationwide? Those campaigning believe that 65 women unnecessarily die every year because of the absence of this facility, given the critical importance of early detection. When will the report taken in January be published? When will facilities for radiotherapy be put in place? Does the Minister have a specific response to the people who travelled from the south-eastern counties last week to protest outside the Dáil?

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