Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 514: To ask the Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Question No. 179 of 12 March 2008, when BreastCheck will be rolled out in County Clare; the proposals she will put in place in the interim with no routine mammography available in the mid-west region; if she supports plans to charge women for routine mammographies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30416/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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BreastCheck commenced the screening process in the Western Region in May 2007, with the provision of a mobile unit on the grounds of Roscommon County Hospital. I officially opened the BreastCheck static unit for the Western Region at University Hospital Galway last December. The National Cancer Screening Service has informed my Department that roll out of the BreastCheck programme to individual counties, including County Clare will be dictated by BreastCheck's management and operational considerations.

In relation to mammography in the Mid-West region, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised my Department that breast imaging services are available at Limerick Regional Hospital through a breast clinic which provides rapid access for all women with breast symptoms. Urgent referrals to the breast clinic for mammography are usually carried out within two weeks.

There are no plans to charge women for mammograms provided by the public health service. The HSE have also advised my Department that consideration is being given to the availability of mammography for women who do not have symptoms, pending the roll-out of BreastCheck. This consideration will have to ensure that women with actual symptoms are given absolute priority.

It is important that clear criteria are applied to distinguish between urgent and routine cases. Significant work has already been undertaken in the area of symptomatic breast disease services, supported by the Irish College of General Practitioners, in relation to referral criteria and the development of appropriate referral forms to allow for appropriate triage of urgent and non-urgent cases.

The implementation of the National Quality Assurance Standards for Symptomatic Breast Disease will ensure that every woman in Ireland who develops breast cancer has an equal opportunity to be managed in a centre which is capable of delivering the best possible results. Any woman who has immediate concerns or symptoms should contact her GP who, where appropriate, will refer her to the symptomatic services in her area.