Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

I welcome this motion in the names of the Independent Deputies and the opportunity it affords us to discuss the standard of cancer services available and the need for an effective cancer strategy here. I also welcome the fact that the Minister for Health and Children is present for the debate, as far too often during Private Members' time members of the Government have chosen not to respond directly to many Opposition Private Members' motions.

As has been outlined, access to cancer services is very much a question of luck depending on the person involved. It is a game of geographic lotto. Where a person lives determines whether he or she will have a sufficiently early identification of a condition and whether he or she has direct access to the services that will assist in their treatment. Different standards of care apply in terms of access to palliative care for many citizens who have various cancers that are inoperable. This hotch potch approach to standards of care has caused a great deal of public concern.

The Government strategy in regard to breast cancer has been mentioned but it must be reiterated that until the BreastCheck screening programme is rolled out throughout the country none of us in this House can be satisfied with the multi-standard level of care afforded to women. I represent Cork South-Central. Prior to the last general election a promise was made that BreastCheck would be rolled out to the southern and western regions. It has been promised that BreastCheck will be up and running in Cork city by July of this year. I admit that some progress has been made. A site for the facility has been identified, cleared and work has commenced on the foundations. However, given that tomorrow is 1 February, I am less than optimistic that the deadline of July for the provision of service will be met. It will probably be available by the end of this year.

I am sure the Minister will indicate that a clinical director has been appointed but the process of employing radiographers to provide that service is still under way. As the Minister is probably only too well aware, one of the main problems with our health service is identifying professionals to fill such positions in sufficient time. The indication that there is a strongly likelihood that BreastCheck will be up and running in Cork in July or August this year, as still seems to be indicated by the Minister, the Government and BreastCheck, is not likely to hold true.

The wider cancer strategy needs to be more focused. We, as a society, do not have sufficient information about the genetic and environmental factors that cause many cancers. We know that something in Celtic genes makes us more predisposed towards certain types of cancers, but not enough questions are asked as often as they should be about the environmental factors involved, namely, the anecdotal evidence of the existence of clusters of incidents of cancers among people living on the same street or in small communities. Information is not being compiled that would allow us to answer why these cancer incidents are occurring.

The National Cancer Registry based in Cork does valuable work but its statistics are based on too wide a geographical basis. They might reveal the number of people in counties Cork or Dublin who have cancer but they do not give further detail. If we are to have faith in the quality of information on this area, information is required in electoral districts of the existence of cancers, the types of cancers and the number of people affected to enable us to pinpoint to the degree possible with the technology available the existence of clusters of cancers throughout the country. Without such information, a cancer strategy will always be ineffective.

I reiterate the point made by my party leader and colleague that the size of the preventative health care and health education budgets in the Department of Health and Children make it impossible to get the message across that much can be done on an individual basis and within communities to prevent to some extent the existence of the condition of cancer. If we were to invest sufficient resources in this area, we might be largely able to avoid trying to treat the problem at a later stage in terms of hospital and palliative care.

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