Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

The Minister of State responded to a recent Adjournment debate on the radiotherapy service and the expert review report and stated that distance to travel for treatment ranked 13th in order of priorities for patients. The expert review group commissioned a study on this matter, but it is a flawed document and I want to correct it. Most of the survey was carried out in Cork and Dublin where there are radiotherapy facilities. No survey was conducted in many counties. Will the Leader arrange for the Minister to come to the House to debate the Hollywood report, on which I want to ask specific questions? It is interesting that consultants attached to St. Luke's Hospital refused to co-operate with the study because they regarded the way in which the issue of distance to travel was addressed as incorrect and improper. I want to expose that as an incorrect finding which distorts the position.

I am glad the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources is raising in the European context the fact that some 13 ships, classified as ghost ships, are on their way to a dismantling company in England. The ships have travelled 4,000 miles from America and they contain PCBs, asbestos and heavy fuel oil. It is a disgrace. I hope the European Parliament and the Minister will follow up this matter. If the Americans want to dismantle 143 ships, they should do so in their own country and not pose a potential risk to our coastline in the event of anything going wrong with these ghost vessels as they travel to another country.