Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 479: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when the women of the west of Ireland can realistically expect to see the roll out of BreastCheck in Counties Mayo and Galway; if she will provide a full update on the matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10332/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I am committed to ensuring that the BreastCheck service is rolled out to the remaining regions in the country as quickly as possible. I have allocated additional revenue funding of €8 million for this year to meet the additional costs involved and I have approved an additional 69 posts for roll-out. BreastCheck appointed the Clinical Directors for the South and West last November and has recently appointed three Consultant Radiologists, two Consultant Surgeons and two Consultant Histopathologists, all with a special interest in breast disease. The recruitment of Radiographers and other staff is under way. I have also made available an additional €26.7m capital funding for the construction of two new clinical units and the provision of five additional mobile units and state of the art digital equipment. The static unit in the West is on schedule for hand-over in September followed by a three week commissioning period.

In response to my request, and in advance of the commissioning of the static unit at University College Hospital Galway, BreastCheck is putting in place all of the elements to commence screening in the West this Spring. For this purpose, BreastCheck will deploy a mobile unit in the West. Screening in individual counties will be dictated by BreastCheck's management and operational considerations.