Beverley Flynn (Mayo, Independent)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the issue of cancer services, which are of huge importance throughout the country, particularly in the west where I am based.

I compliment the Minister for Health and Children and her Department on the significant improvements in funding for cancer services. However, having acknowledged this, we must examine the serious issues that still face us such as the inadequacy of the services and areas where I feel discrimination has taken place, particularly with regard to the roll-out of certain services to the disadvantage and detriment of women in the west. It is unacceptable that there are waiting lists of up to 14 weeks for radiotherapy and that people have to travel extremely long distances. People with prostate and lung cancer, for example, are on unacceptably long waiting lists. Everyone has acknowledged that this is against best clinical practice.

We all welcome the roll-out of the cervical screening programme. However, the availability of BreastCheck has been a serious issue in the west. Breast screening has been in place in Northern Ireland for more than ten years. It has been available in most parts of Ireland for the past four to five years. However, breast screening will not be up and running in the west until the end of this year. The Minister has been serious about making this happen and I welcome the fact that this deadline will be met. I welcome the additional investment of funds the Minister has put in place to make it a reality. However, it is important that we are not left to the end in the roll-out of the national cervical screening programme. The people of the west cannot be treated in this discriminatory manner. Sadly, there are women being diagnosed with breast cancer today who could have been alerted earlier if this service had been available to them.

A partial roll-out of any service of this type is unacceptable. I accept that a pilot scheme for cervical screening has been running and we all recognise that the number of women getting cervical cancer is increasing. Cervical cancer is a killer and must be addressed with the utmost seriousness. I note that from January 2001 until the end of December 2006 approximately 50,700 women attended for screening under this pilot programme in the mid-west. I welcome the decision to expand the programme nationally. It is important that this is done throughout the country by the end of 2007. I welcome the provision by the Department of an additional €5 million to facilitate the rolling out of this service.

It is important to recognise that there is a definite national plan in place for radiotherapy and the Minister is to be commended on this. The deadline for the roll-out of this service throughout the country is 2011. The Minister maintains that much of this will be done through public private partnership. It will be difficult to meet this deadline, but all the resources possible need to be put into this area to ensure the deadline is met. It is critical to the public that this is taken seriously. I welcome the fact that the new national development plan includes a major investment for the cancer control strategy. This is an indication of how serious the Government is taking the whole issue of cancer services.

I welcome the improvements that have been made. It would be remiss of anyone not to acknowledge the very significant investment that has been made in cancer services. However, there are still huge gaps in the service and we must do everything we can to address them. I ask the Minister that fairness and equity be applied across the country and that the west not be discriminated against in the future as, unfortunately, it was in the past.

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