Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 251: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason the report of the international panel of experts on the Irish Blood Transfusion Service published in September 2002 was not acted upon; the reason a further review was ordered and by whom; the status of this review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42312/06]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 252: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when it is proposed to commence building the new facility at the Cork University Hospital to replace the Munster Regional Transfusion Centre at St. Finbarr's Hospital; if the required independent financial evaluation has been completed; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that one third of all blood donations come from the quarter of the population living in the Munster area; her views on whether the current facility at St. Finbarr's needs replacing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42313/06]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 253: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if the proposed Munster Regional Transfusion Centre at the Cork University Hospital will have the capacity to provide a full back up service in the event of an emergency shutdown of the Dublin centre; the back up plan in the event of an emergency shutdown of the Dublin centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42314/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 251 to 253, inclusive, together.

The Expert Panel on Testing of Blood for Transfusion, which reported in September 2002, made 11 recommendations and each of them either has been or is in the course of being implemented by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) or other relevant body, as appropriate. I am aware of the inadequacies of the existing Transfusion Centre at St Finbarr's Hospital and accept the need for it to be replaced. Pending its replacement, the IBTS has invested over €3 million in its refurbishment to ensure compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. I am also aware of the fact that 30% of donations come from the Munster area.

In relation to the review mentioned by the Deputy, I take it that this is a reference to a Cost Benefit Analysis of the proposed new Transfusion Centre for the Munster area. This is required to be carried out by the IBTS under the Department of Finance's Guidelines for the Appraisal and Management of Capital Expenditure Proposals in the Public Sector because the estimated cost of the new Centre is in the region of €30 million. I have recently received from the IBTS a copy of a report from consultants who were commissioned to undertake this analysis. I will meet the Chairperson and members of the Board shortly to discuss the report.

One of the issues dealt with in the report is that of back-up arrangements between the centres in Cork and Dublin in the event of emergency shutdown of either centre. I might add that arrangements are in place with the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service to carry out Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) on all blood samples. The Scottish Service provided NAT testing on Irish blood until this test was introduced in Dublin in July 2004.