Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

I, too, welcome the Minister of State back to the House. I am touched at the nice tone of the debate today, which represents how we all feel about cancer and the treatment services provided for it. It is only right that we should all be singing from the one hymn sheet and it would we wonderful if we could focus our minds on the best possible results for patients suffering from the dreadful scourge of cancer.

I commend Members on the Opposition benches, people like Senator O'Meara and others who have chased the Minister for Health and Children, as we have. I like to think that we all do that for one simple reason, to get the best possible outcome. It saddens me when it becomes a political football, but I am glad that most Members contributing today are not using it as such, and that we all seem to be coming from the one side.

I agree with Senator Feighan that cancer is a very emotive issue. It is a horrible, aggressive illness that affects all our lives and the lives of our families. I commend Senator Feighan on the excellent presentation he made in this House today at a difficult time for him personally.