James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 392: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the progress made on the programme for Government commitment to progress a national network for radiation oncology services over the past five years; the progress of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30029/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Under the National Plan for Radiation Oncology (NPRO), the Health Service Executive (HSE) will develop a network of radiotherapy centres consisting of four large centres, in Dublin (St James's and Beaumont), Cork and Galway, and two satellite centres in Limerick and Waterford. The Plan's implementation is a key deliverable for the HSE National Cancer Control Programme and the NPRO Project Board is chaired by the Director of the Programme. Considerable progress has been made on all aspects of the NPRO.

Phase 1 of the NPRO (new radiotherapy centres at St. James's Hospital and Beaumont) is funded by the HSE through its capital programme using traditional procurement. Contracts for the construction and equipping of these two new centres were signed in August 2008 and site preparation work is continuing, with a target date of September 2010 for completion of this phase, which will result in 4 new linear accelerators at St James's Hospital and 4 also at Beaumont Hospital. In order to provide additional capacity in the intervening period, two new linear accelerators were provided at St Luke's in 2008 to bring the total there to eight. Two replacement linear accelerators were also provided at St Luke's in 2008.

In relation to the Phase 2 of the Plan, which will deliver new linear accelerators on the remaining sites, the detailed planning for each hospital site is now under way. A Public Sector Benchmark will be undertaken shortly for Phase 2 of the Project and if Public Private Partnership (PPP) is judged to be cost-effective, the tendering process will then commence with an expected completion date for Phase 2 of 2014.