Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

Deputy Reilly will have to become accustomed to the reality that not every new service or initiative can come with a new price tag. Given that additional moneys will not be available for health services for the foreseeable future, it is a question of reprioritising resources.

The programme recommended to me had an upfront capital cost of €14 million but I want to see it done within existing capital infrastructure. The programme envisaged that doctors will perform colonoscopies but within Cork University Hospital nurses are already performing such procedures. The most effective programme involves sending individual kits to the population being screened, of whom about 6%, or 11,000 people, would require follow up colonoscopies. At present, we conduct 50,000 colonoscopies nationally.

I have met representatives of the Irish Cancer Society, which like me regards this issue as a priority. If we have to make choices, this will have to be next. The society has generously offered to provide funding from its private voluntary fundraising activities for the initial roll-out of the programme.

Screening programmes are substantially more expensive here than across the Border or in other countries because of the fees paid to professionals. In an environment where money is extremely limited, we have to explore the most innovative ways of introducing new programmes.

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