Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 284: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the changes made in relation to provision for radiotherapy services by way of PPPs; her plans for provision in each of the four Health Service Executive locations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14094/07]

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 465: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the status of her plan to provide an integrated oncology facility, including radiation treatment, at Waterford Regional Hospital by 2011; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14931/07]

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 466: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the funding she is providing to the Health Services Executive to provide a dedicated transport service to Dublin and Cork hospitals for cancer patients in Waterford and elsewhere in the south east; her views on whether patients in the south east have a justified expectation that the Government provide such a service pending the availability of radiotherapy services in the south east, which is still some years away; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14932/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 284, 465 and 466 together.

It is my objective and that of the Health Service Executive (HSE) to see the earliest delivery of the National Plan for Radiation Oncology in the best interests of cancer patients throughout the country. The HSE and my Department are currently considering options to speed up delivery and I expect to receive their recommendation on the best option as a matter of priority. The development of radiation oncology at Waterford Regional Hospital (WRH) is an integral part of the Government's National Plan for Radiation Oncology. This will be part of a major oncology development at WRH, including the provision of a 20 bed oncology day ward. In the interim, a service level agreement was signed on 1 February between the HSE and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre Whitfield Clinic in County Waterford and public patients are being referred for radiation oncology treatment pending the commissioning of the radiation oncology centre at WRH.

The HSE has in place several options for the transportation of patients who require radiotherapy and other oncology services. These services relate to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to provide relevant details to the Deputy.