Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

Tá lúcháir orm go bhfuil mo chomhghleacaí an tAire Stáit, Pat the Cope Ó Gallachóir, anseo chun freagra a thabhairt ar an ábhar seo. I am delighted my colleague the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Pat the Cope Gallagher, is here to answer the question as he is well aware of the acute needs of people in Donegal. I am delighted he is attached to the Department and that he can assist Donegal people with their concerns in the area of health, particularly the issue of cancer services in the north west.

The issue I wish to raise today concerns BreastCheck, the free breast screening service that can find or detect early breast cancer. The service invites women aged between 50 and 64 for a free breast X-ray every two years. The appointment takes approximately 30 minutes. It is not a painful experience for most women and the majority of them are found to be in perfect health. BreastCheck is currently available in the north east, the east, the midlands and the south east of the country and the Government plans to roll the service out nationally.

The reason I have raised the issue today is that I want to ascertain when BreastCheck will be rolled out into the north west, particularly to Donegal and Letterkenny General Hospital. Currently, BreastCheck screening is available in Cork, Galway and Roscommon with plans to roll the service out this month in Blanchardstown in Dublin, in Cabinteely, Portlaoise, Finglas, Ballymun and Ballygall, with the service rolling out in Kildare, Foxrock, Swords and County Louth later this year.

Breast screening is vital for women in the age group 50 to 64. Many women in Donegal have to travel to Galway in order to obtain the service. It is unacceptable that this will continue. I hope the Department and the HSE roll out the availability of breast screening and the BreastCheck service to Letterkenny General Hospital as quickly as possible. I would like the Minister of State to provide an update as to when this will happen and explain the associated staffing arrangements.