Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 96: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if all oncology services in the north east region and at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, in particular, will remain in place until centres of excellence are fully functioning in order that the 1,000 patients attending Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital weekly can avail of a reasonable level of service rather than having patients who are very ill, and in many cases dying, being forced into already overcrowded wards in Beaumont and the Mater hospitals in Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29942/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The implementation of the National Cancer Control Programme is a major priority for me and for this Government. The recent decisions of the Health Service Executive (HSE) in relation to four managed cancer control networks and eight cancer centres will be implemented on a managed and phased basis. The delivery of cancer services on a programmatic basis will serve to ensure equity of access to services and equality of patient outcome irrespective of geography. Prof. Tom Keane took up his position as interim Director of the National Cancer Control Programme last Monday. Prof. Keane will be engaging in detailed planning to facilitate the orderly phased transfer of services between locations.

The HSE has designated Beaumont Hospital and the Mater Misericordiae Hospital as the two cancer centres in the Managed Cancer Control Network for the HSE Dublin North East Region. The designation of cancer centres aims to ensure that patients receive the highest quality care while at the same time allowing local access to services, where appropriate. Where diagnosis and treatment planning is directed and managed by multi-disciplinary teams based at the cancer centres, then much of the treatment (other than surgery) can be delivered in local hospitals, such as Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 97: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her plans for the development of services at Portiuncula Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29744/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issue raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.