Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

With regard to capital investment, I gave a commitment that provision will be made in the 2008 capital plan for capital works at Ennis. That is a fact and there are parliamentary questions down today where I have answered that issue. The capital works must be compatible with the developments taking place at the hospital. As I stated in my earlier reply, significant work has been under way between the four hospitals in the region, all of which have accident and emergency departments.

Many Members may have heard Professor Drumm say this morning something he has said on many occasions, that we have many hospitals in the country where we have four times more doctors employed than admissions per day. Deputies do not need me to tell them that in such an environment, quality care is not possible. It is not a good use of resources.

The whole reform effort aims to get clinical buy-in to the change and listen to the clinical experts on the ground and nationally. For 30 years this country has sought to reform its health service but has always fallen down because of a failure to achieve clinical buy-in, which is the key to success. This is particularly true of the cancer programme, where there is significant buy-in from the clinical community in Ireland to what we are doing.

With regard to mammograms, BreastCheck has been rolled out to the mid-west, although it has not yet been rolled out in Clare. There are approximately five or six counties left to roll out BreastCheck, which is happening as we speak.

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