Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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449. To ask the Minister for Health his views on correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19119/16]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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459. To ask the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) is being terminated from St. Vincent's Hospital. [19161/16]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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545. To ask the Minister for Health if he will ensure that a person's contract is renewed (details supplied). [19493/16]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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557. To ask the Minister for Health the alternative arrangements in place to ensure that care is not compromised for persons suffering with sarcoma following the cessation of the contract for the consultant that was in place; the qualifications and experience the replacement consultant will have; if he is satisfied that this represents adequate cover for persons suffering with this disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19569/16]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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559. To ask the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) who solely specialises in sarcoma cannot be retained in St. Vincent's Hospital in Dublin; the proposed timeframe for appointments to be made specifically for consultants who specialise in sarcoma; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19587/16]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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566. To ask the Minister for Health the status of sarcoma cancer care further to his commitments to consider appointing a permanent consultant medical oncologist with a special interest in sarcoma to meet demand at St. Vincent's University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19642/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 449, 459, 537, 545, 557, 559 and 566 togther.

Services for patients with sarcoma are provided in St. Vincent’s University Hospital and in Cork University Hospital. Both hospitals are designated cancer centres and have an extensive range of multi-disciplinary services and expert clinical advice available to them. A National Clinical Lead in Soft Tissue Sarcomas is in place to oversee the services for patients with sarcomas. Irish patients with sarcoma have their cases presented and discussed at one of the two sarcoma multi-disciplinary teams. Members of these teams also have links with European specialists in sarcoma.

St. Vincent's University Hospital has provided highly specialised and individualised treatment to sarcoma sufferers for a number of years. St. Vincent's has access to all of the relevant specialties including surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology and pathology and is the largest provider of surgical procedures for soft tissue sarcomas in the country.

It is intended to increase, in line with available resources, the number of consultant medical oncologists working in the eight designated cancer centres to meet demand. My Department has agreed that the recruitment of a consultant medical oncologist with a special interest in sarcoma, based in St. Vincent’s University Hospital, will be prioritised to facilitate further development of the service there. The Director General of the HSE has directed that work on the open recruitment process is to begin immediately.