Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I am glad of the opportunity to speak on this motion. While I will support the amendment, I am grateful to Senator Henry for putting this issue on the agenda for debate. I commend the Government, the Tánaiste and the Minister of State on all they are doing. That is not to deny, however, that much more needs to be done.

I concur with much of what was said by Senator McHugh. We are behind schedule on BreastCheck and it was a mistake to roll it out in one area at a time rather than everywhere. We should not make the same mistake with cervical cancer screening, which must be available everywhere.

Along with my colleagues from the north, I take credit for the fact that the Galway centre for BreastCheck is nearing completion. I would like pressure to be exerted to ensure it is rolled out as quickly as possible. The Tánaiste gave an undertaking that the service will be available by 2007 and hinted that it may be ready by the end of this year. I hope this is so because the life of a woman in Dublin is no more important than that of someone in Sligo or Donegal.

We should scrap the idea of pilot areas and start thinking about the problem as a whole. A pilot screening programme for cervical cancer was introduced in the midlands and international statistics show great benefits from such programmes. However, the programme should be made available nationally without delay because everybody must be included. Money should be no object when it comes to people's lives and health.

I have consistently raised the lack of the infrastructure north of a line from Dublin to Galway and west of Mullingar, and radiotherapy is no different. Under the Hollywood proposals, two centres will be provided in Dublin, one in Galway and one in Cork, which is fantastic. Due to political pressure, agreement has been reached on satellite units for Limerick and Waterford. Again, however, nothing has been provided north of the line between Dublin and Galway and west of Mullingar. People are advised to go to Belfast but that is unrealistic because people want centres for treatment rather than for diagnosis. As it is not reasonable for a mother of young children who suffers from breast cancer to travel to St. Luke's for radiotherapy, we want the service to be brought closer to home. It is a delusion to think it is easier to travel to Belfast or Galway than to Dublin. We require radiotherapy services in Sligo. That means one linear accelerator at an approximate cost of €3 million to €6 million in capital expenditure. I am aware that is a significant amount and that running the service will require even more but there is no excuse. My colleagues, Deputy Devins and Senators Feeney and Scanlon, are most anxious about this issue. We demand a linear accelerator for Sligo which will service the north west.