Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

During recent days and during the course of exchanges here today we have been asked to accept that this will improve when centres of excellence are established and that they are the answer to all of this. The problem I have with this and the Government's problem of credibility is that centres of excellence were recommended seven years ago in the O'Higgins report and it still has not happened. According to the Minister for Health and Children it will happen by 2009. According to Mr. O'Brien, who is in charge of the strategy, it will not happen for a further three years after that and it will be well into 2012 or 2013 before they are established.

In the meantime, the Government proposes to close local centres and 13 of them are targeted for closure. What will happen to cancer services after local services are closed and before the Government gets around to establishing the centres of excellence? According to Professor Crown in his radio interview with Pat Kenny today, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health and Children have been going around the country cutting the ribbons on private cancer facilities which are smaller than the facilities being closed to make way for the centres of excellence.

Cancer treatment and services have been dogged by delay over recent years and the Taoiseach has presided over it. BreastCheck was to have rolled out completely by 2003. It is still not completed. The centres of excellence are seven years coming. We have nothing but continuing delay on the services being provided. The Taoiseach, the Minister for Health and Children and the Government speak as though they are starting from day one and not as people who have been in charge of the dilapidation of the service for the past ten years.

With regard to the Portlaoise issue, what exactly is "administrative leave"? Is it suspension with pay? Who authorised it and who made the decision to put the consultant on administrative leave?

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