Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

I acknowledge the work of the Minister and her Department. I encourage the Department to continue prioritising that capital investment. I also encourage the delivery of ring-fenced funding for cancer services, as mentioned by her, which was committed to in the programme for Government. I also encourage the expansion of acute oncology facilities, ensuring patients undergoing treatment are not forced through overburdened emergency departments. We have heard in this House this evening that emergency departments are not the ideal setting for these people.

The national cancer strategy provides a strong roadmap and the commitment is clear. I acknowledge the political will is there. However, as incidence continues to rise and the population grows, as the Minister mentioned, now is the time to match that ambition with pace, particularly in diagnostics where early intervention can change everything. I appreciate, as she said, that as things improve, we will see more diagnoses. That shows the system is working and we are picking up on things, particularly with an ageing population. We must keep the pressure on and continue to work with the Department and the HSE.

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