Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 560: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if the Health Service Executive has signed the contract to develop phase two of the new cancer services at St. James' Hospital, Dublin which will replace the facilities offered at St. Luke's Hospital, Rathgar, Dublin 6; if she will outline the construction that will take place under this phase; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31838/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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The National Plan for Radiation Oncology (NPRO) provides the national infrastructure for radiation oncology for around the next 25 years. Phase 1 of the NPRO involves the construction of new facilities at Beaumont and St James's Hospitals, with four linear accelerators in each. These new centres will be completed at the end of this year, at which time some staff and resources from St Luke's will transfer to these centres. The three facilities will then form the St Luke's Radiation Oncology Network for Dublin Mid-Leinster and Dublin North-East. This will provide adequate capacity to deal with patient needs until at least 2015.

Phase 2 of the NPRO will be delivered through Public Private Partnership and will provide additional capacity at Beaumont, St James's, Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Galway. Satellite centres will also be developed at the MidWestern Regional Hospital in Limerick (linked to University Hospital Galway) and at Waterford Regional Hospital (linked to Cork University Hospital). The procurement process for these facilities awaits the Government's consideration of the Public Sector Benchmark for the Plan.

The Plan also involves support for the development of facilities at Altnagelvin by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland, as a number of patients from Donegal travel to St Luke's Hospital at present for radiation oncology services. The Business Case for this development has now been finalised and is awaiting approval by Minister McGimpsey. I have committed to providing a capital contribution to the Project, in recognition of the fact that approximately one third of the patients who will attend the Altnagelvin Centre will be from Donegal and the surrounding areas.