Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I am taking the Adjournment debate on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney.

I welcome the opportunity to address the issues raised by the Deputy and to set out the current position on the roll-out of the national breast screening programme in the west. I can confirm that BreastCheck screening will commence in the west from next April. My colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, has met with representatives of BreastCheck. They are fully aware of her wish to have a quality assured programme rolled out to the remaining regions in the country as quickly as possible. For this to happen, essential elements of the roll-out must be in place, including adequate staffing, effective training and quality assurance programmes.

At a recent meeting with the Minister, BreastCheck reported on the significant progress that has been made in preparation for the roll-out in the west. The Minister approved additional funding of €8 million for this year. This is for BreastCheck to meet the additional costs of roll-out and an additional 69 posts have been approved. The clinical director for the western region took up her position last November. BreastCheck has recently appointed three consultant radiologists, two consultant surgeons and two consultant histopathologists, all with a special interest in breast disease. The recruitment of radiographers and other staff is under way. These are the essential multidisciplinary staff required to implement a quality assured breast screening programme and primary treatment programme.

The Minister has also made available an additional €26.7 million capital funding for the construction of two new clinical units and the provision of five additional mobile units and state-of-the-art digital equipment. The BreastCheck clinical unit in the western area at University College Hospital Galway will have two associated mobile units and is on schedule for hand-over in September followed by a three-week commissioning period.

The expansion of screening to the west will take place in advance of the commissioning of the static unit. This expansion will cover counties Galway, Sligo, Roscommon, Donegal, Mayo, Leitrim, Clare and Tipperary North Riding. There are approximately 58,000 women in the target age group in these counties.

A breast screening programme is a complex multidisciplinary undertaking that requires considerable expertise and management involving population registers, call-recall systems, mammography, pathology and appropriate treatment and follow up. A programme must be quality assured and acceptable to women who attend for screening.

The first phase of the programme is of a high quality and a similar quality in the west is essential. BreastCheck is committed to the earliest possible provision of quality assured screening in the west. In response to a request from the Minister for Health and Children, BreastCheck is to achieve the early deployment of a mobile unit in a location in the west in accordance with her target date of the end of April. BreastCheck is putting all of the elements in place to meet the April roll-out. BreastCheck expects to confirm details of the actual roll-out in early April.

The Minister wishes to acknowledge the significant efforts of the staff at BreastCheck to deliver on the commitments to the west. The expansion involves existing professional and management staff at BreastCheck who have shown considerable leadership in supporting this roll-out.

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