Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I do not want to ignore the Senators' comments. Senator Prendergast is concerned about funding. The Friends of St. Luke's Hospital is a limited company and, as such, a separate legal entity. Senator Feeney also raised concern about the money it raised. The company will continue to determine how the funds it collects through voluntary contributions are distributed and it has stated that it will continue to support St. Luke's cancer network over the three hospitals. On Thursday, the Minister will meet representatives from the Friends of St. Luke's Hospital to discuss the transition. The transition until 2014 or early 2015 is a considerable window of time and every opportunity will be afforded to the Joint Committee on Health and Children to examine patients' experiences during this period.