The commitment of the Minister and the Department of Health and Children to BreastCheck is evidenced by the significant funding which has been provided for the programme. This year additional funding of €1.5 million was provided to BreastCheck for the continued development of the programme, bringing the total allocation to date to €8.7 million. In addition, the Minister has allocated approximately €6 million for the construction of a new state of the art screening unit at St. Vincent's Hospital. Work is expected to commence shortly on this development.