Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I acknowledge and welcome that there are plans and a commitment to develop this very important centre, although the timeline is not spelled out. According to the experts, what is urgently needed is the functional cancer centre at University Hospital Galway, including inpatient beds, operating theatres, cancer ICU, an ambulatory rapid access diagnostic centre, a haematology oncology day ward and outpatients department, and modern laboratories, as well as functional regional cancer infrastructure, including ambulatory cancer centres at regional Saolta hospitals, supporting diagnostics, imaging pathology and multidisciplinary teams across the network, supported by a regional network of GP and primary care facilities.

I welcome the response the Minister of State has given but, as I said, we need to progress this and ensure there are no undue delays. Obviously, when the time comes, funding will be an issue but it is committed to and contained within the national development plan and Project Ireland 2040. We need to see progress in regard to the site, the various strategic assessment reports and preliminary business cases, all of the various stages of the spending code of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the lodging of the planning application.