Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

The Senator will discover the reason I believe they are so important in a moment. The Opposition had the opportunity to do something about this matter and I will also refer to that later.

BreastCheck, the national breast screening programme, commenced in March 2000 – the Senator knows who was in power at that time – with phase one covering the Eastern Regional Health Authority, Midland Health Board and North Eastern Health Board areas. Screening is being offered free of charge to all women in those areas in the target age group of 50 to 64 years of age.

The BreastCheck initiative has most certainly been a success since its commencement. By the end of August 2002, 91,906 women had been called for screening and 68,184 women have been screened. This represents an uptake of 74%. The Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, recently announced that BreastCheck will begin the next stage of the national extension of the programme by rolling it out in Counties Carlow, Wexford and Kilkenny. Approximately 19,000 women in the 50 to 64 age bracket in these counties will be invited for screening. It is expected that approximately 60 additional cancers will be diagnosed and treated annually as a result.