When we discuss the question of geographical services, we must consider it not only from the point of view of the State but also from that of the island as a whole. The Ireland-Northern Ireland NCI cancer consortium is a trilateral partnership involving the Department of Health and Children, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland and the National Cancer Institute of the US Department of Health and Human Sciences. It was conceptualised by cancer physicians in Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United States who took their idea of a collaborative partnership to their respective Governments. The consortium was established in October 1999 on foot of a memorandum of understanding signed by the then Health Ministers of Ireland and Northern Ireland and the Secretary of State for the US Department of Health and Human Sciences. It seeks to bring together in a collaborative way the cancer treatment communities in all three jurisdictions with a view to enhancing the capacity of our cancer research and service delivery systems.