Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, to the Chamber. I also welcome A Strategy for Cancer Control in Ireland. It makes extremely interesting reading.

This is not the first time I have spoken in the Chamber on the issue of cancer, and at the outset of each occasion I spoke about what an emotive issue it is. Everyone knows someone within his or her immediate family, a relation or close friend who has been affected by the terrible scourge we know as cancer. I am delighted with the report. Once and for all someone took the bull by the horns and set out a blueprint to tackle all types of cancer. In early June when she launched the report, the Tánaiste stated 35 hospitals administer and treat all types of cancer. In her own words, she felt this was excessive.

Two weeks ago, I attended a UN convention on HIV-AIDS in New York as a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children. We took the opportunity to visit Sloan-Kettering, the largest cancer hospital in the world. Until then, I questioned whether it was excessive to have 35 hospitals delivering cancer care. Having visited Sloan-Kettering I can state it is. I will discuss Sloan-Kettering later. The strategy points out that we have eight centres in four regions each serving a population of 1 million. We do not know whether the 35 units will be involved. However, many of them would link into one of those eight units and that is welcome.

The cost has yet to be worked out. I remember thinking at the time it was a knee-jerk political reaction by the main Opposition parties when they had a go at the HSE, the Department and the Tánaiste for not costing it. The best expertise came together to set it out and the group was chaired by Professor Paul Redmond. The biggest and best of those delivering cancer services sat on the forum. Professor Drumm raised the issue of resistance and he could have screamed about it because there is resistance every time we discuss centre of excellenced. I see Deputy Connolly smiling at me from the Gallery and he is part of that resistance. I know I should not mention anyone by name.