Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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267. To ask the Minister for Health the status of a cross-Border service arrangement (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10610/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The new North West Cancer Centre at Altnagelvin Area Hospital opened in November 2016 and has commenced providing radiotherapy services to patients. This service will offer radiotherapy services closer to home for many Donegal patients, reducing their travel time significantly. It is hoped that the new Centre will improve the quality of life of those receiving treatment and that it will also be of benefit to family members and carers.

Implementation of the radiotherapy services at Altnagelvin are being undertaken on a phased basis, commencing with prostate cancer patients. There will be a gradual increase in the number of patients, and in the different cancer types being treated, and it is planned that the new centre will be fully operational by the end of May 2017.

At this point a number of patients from the Republic of Ireland have been referred for treatment and this will increase as the Centre moves towards full operation. At full capacity, the Centre will deal with approximately 1,500 patients per annum, including 385 from the Republic of Ireland. The Service Level Agreement between the HSE and the Western Health and Social Care Trust includes provision for dealing with additional patients if required at a future stage.

I have been advised that, for clinical reasons, patients who have already started their radiotherapy treatment elsewhere will not be transferred to Altnagelvin.