Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

Along with my colleagues I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this issue of immense concern in the Cork and Kerry region. The depth of the concern can be gauged by proceedings in the House yesterday. It is necessary to place on the record the vehemence of the anger of public representatives from the Cork area not only about the nature of the quality of cancer care services in the Cork and Kerry region but also the pathetic Government response that we received to a number of inquiries about the service over several years. When listening to the Taoiseach yesterday outlining a series of national statistics, we and the people we represent were meant to take some solace from the fact that one medical oncologist on call representing four hospitals serving a population of 500,000 people is somehow commensurate with the average cancer care service in the country and in particular with those in the nation's capital.

Cork has one noteworthy aspect in terms of cancer policy. It is the location of the National Cancer Registry, a dubious honour, which is more administrative than anything else. That registry points out that for several cancers the Cork and Kerry area is above the national average. Not only must we put up with the existence of such clusters among the people we represent, we also must put up with a sub-standard health service in trying to identify the degree of incidence of cancer in the area and how such cancers can be treated.

Those of us on the Opposition side of the House are not prepared to put up with this type of cant and hypocrisy any longer. The Government cannot hide behind a shield of statistics. The type of responses given by the Taoiseach and the absence of the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children from this Adjournment debate offers us no solace that the Government is dealing with the issue with any seriousness.

Meanwhile the people we represent continue to ask why even basic screening services such as BreastCheck, first promised before the general election of 2002, is now uncertain to be in place by the next milestone of 2007. As a Deputy for the Cork area I would like to know why at the end of November 2005 no planning application has been made to renovate the building identified to provide BreastCheck services in 2007. If that planning permission has not been sought, how can we even hope to come close to meeting the deadline for having such services available in the Cork area by 2007? This is beside the fact that the Government has chosen to roll out this programme to 50% of the country while the other 50% can continue to wait. This is not good enough.

I hope that when the Minister of State speaks, his contribution will represent an engagement and a reaction to what he will hear from my colleagues and me. I will not accept a prepared script written in the Department of Health and Children. We need to see appropriate action.

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