David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 375: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when he will extent BreastCheck to the Southern Health Board Region; the reason for the long delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9756/04]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The national roll-out of BreastCheck, which I announced last year, requires detailed planning to include essential infrastructure.

The BreastCheck clinical unit in the southern area will be located at South Infirmary/Victoria Hospital, with three associated mobile units. Counties covered include Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Waterford and Tipperary South Riding. A capital project team has been established to develop a brief for the capital infrastructure needed for the clinical unit. The South Infirmary/Victoria Hospital considered it necessary to commission a site strategy study to ensure the integration of the breast screening service into the present and future development of the hospital. In 2004 my Department made available a capital grant of €230,000 for the study to be undertaken by architectural, engineering and quantity surveying experts on behalf of the hospital. It is expected that this study will be completed shortly.