Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I congratulate Deputy Reilly for introducing this timely motion in the House. The announcement made by the Minister yesterday represents another failure to be added to the Government's long list of failures. The Minister has extended her stated timeframes on many occasions — she is incapable of meeting deadlines. The Government which has been in office for 100 days has given us a clear indication that the health service is in further chaos and crisis.

Everybody agrees with the suggestion that it is great to have centres of excellence. I would like to illustrate the point I am making by mentioning an example in my home county of Galway. The Government claims that a service which is being taken from Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe will be provided in a centre of excellence at University College Hospital, Galway. Those who have gone to the hospital in Galway are familiar with the waiting lists there. I would like the Minister of State, Deputy Devins, to note that a patient who returned from abroad last May after being diagnosed with cancer had to wait for two months to receive treatment at the proposed centre of excellence in Galway. Does the Government intend to compound that problem by transferring what is done at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe to University College Hospital, Galway?

The Minister has kicked for touch by making this proposal at a time when there is an embargo on all HSE appointments. In such circumstances, how can this plan be implemented properly in the manner intended? We have been told that transitional funding is to be made available for this project. What does "transitional funding" mean in the context of the current crisis and cutbacks? It means there is effectively no funding.

If funding is diverted from hospitals where this treatment cannot be performed it will be transferred to the centres. How will that benefit us? We are told that €500 million is available to implement this scheme over a period and that its effectiveness will be assessed in two years. This means that, post-election, we are implementing the first stage of the Hanly report. We are denying Portiuncula Hospital and all similar hospitals. Other hospitals have lost accident and emergency services and now, gradually and slowly but surely, the Hanly report will be implemented by the back door. This is regrettable and represents a downgrading of hospitals that can no longer provide these services. It is too bad if a patient must wait for two months before treatment is provided in one of the centres of excellence.

No transport is provided from rural areas to centres of excellence. The transport service for cancer patients has been discontinued. What provision is there for those who must travel the furthest distance from this vast area in the west of Ireland from northern Donegal to Clare? Some may require the service up to three times per week.

The implementation of this plan involves a new structure being established over a mountain of other structures under Professor Drumm. Resources that should be at the coalface are now being hived off to provide paper trails for the policy of implementation. It will not be a success and the Minister should revisit this matter. There are no waiting lists for people in Ballinasloe and they must suffer continuous waiting lists under the new scheme.

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