Niall Blaney (Donegal North East, IND-FF)
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Question 258: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she will secure designated funding to assist patients and their families who must travel for cancer treatments; and if some of this funding could be extracted from the €35 billion allocated to the new transport plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35523/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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There is a significant responsibility on our health services to ensure that patients, particularly cancer patients, are adequately supported clinically and, where necessary, with regard to proper transport arrangements. As I have previously indicated to the House, I consider that appropriate transport arrangements for oncology patients should be made available, where necessary, by the Health Service Executive. My Department has raised this matter with the executive to ensure that appropriate transport arrangements are put in place on a national basis for patients who are required to travel. Transport solutions are already a feature of the current provision of oncology services. My Department has asked the Health Service Executive to advise the Deputy directly with regard to funding for the provision of transport arrangements for oncology patients nationally.