Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The stock and trade response to such questions by the Minister for Finance and the Taoiseach is to reel off a number of statistics and refer to when the Opposition was last in office. Patients in pain and in need of morphine and, in some cases, travelling to Dublin from parts of Donegal or Waterford are not interested in the Government playing games with regard to what was in place when I was last in office. I asked when BreastCheck is to go nationwide as announced by the then Minister, Deputy Martin. It was initially announced for 2002, then for 2005. With regard to the southern region, the announcement has been made five times and yesterday the person responsible said that it cannot be put in place before 2008. On behalf of the people for whom this is a cause of acute distress and not political bickering, when will the service be rolled out nationwide as committed to by the Minister for Health and Children? When will the difficulties with regard to location in Dublin and the eastern region be resolved? A report was compiled on the matter in January but no decision has yet been made. Is there any attempt to provide the type of specialised transport that is required for those who must travel long distances from Waterford and other parts of the country while in pain?

This is a policy of drift. I do not know whether the figures listed by the Minister for Finance have been put in place. However, the people in need of these services cannot access them and in many cases it is a matter of life and death. I listened to the people who travelled to protest outside the Houses of the Oireachtas and the services are not in place. That is the issue for them. With regard to the tax incentivised private unit in Waterford, I have no idea about the arrangements which have been entered into with consultants or how it will care for public patients. These are very important and painful issues for many families and early detection is essential. There has been no investment in cervical screen testing.

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