Written answers
Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Department of Health
Hospital Equipment
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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818. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 679 of 23 September 2025, whether the ongoing development of radiation oncology services is in line with the National Plan for Radiation Oncology, considering that it is now 2025 and that this plan notes that there will be a need for a further phased increase to 38 linear accelerators by 2015. [65237/25]
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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819. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 679 of 23 September 2025, to clarify that there is a distinction between 'ongoing development programmes' and 'replacement programmes', in the context of radiation therapy equipment. [65238/25]
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 818 and 819 together.
The National Plan for Radiation Oncology (NPRO), often referred to as the “Hollywood Report” (2003), was developed at a time when radiotherapy capacity in Ireland was limited (only 8 linear accelerators) and when there were no, or very few, private radiotherapy providers operating in the State.
The projection within that report of a requirement for 38 linear accelerators (linacs) by 2015 reflected the best available modelling at that time, based on population need, treatment techniques then in use, and the absence of private provision. The document is now considered out-of-date for planning purposes, as treatment technologies, patient pathways and national service configurations have evolved substantially over the past 20 years.
At present, there are 23 public linear accelerators nationally:
- St Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network (SLRON): 14 linacs.
- University Hospital Galway (UHG): 4 linacs.
- Cork University Hospital (CUH): 5 linacs.
A major expansion of SLRON, centred on the Beaumont Phase II development, is currently progressing as part of a major capital programme. This project will increase the network’s linac complement from 14 to 17 linacs, with additional supporting infrastructure.
In addition to this expansion programme, the HSE continues to roll out a major equipment replacement and upgrade programme across SLRON’s three sites — Beaumont Hospital, St James’s Hospital and St Luke’s Hospital, Rathgar. The Government remains committed to ensuring timely access to high-quality radiotherapy, continuous service improvements, and investment in modern treatment technologies to support improved cancer outcomes.
All public radiation oncology departments have also taken steps to “future proof” capacity. Each new centre has been constructed with additional empty bunkers that can accommodate new linacs should future demand projections require further expansion with one empty bunker in Cork University Hospital, one in University Hospital Galway and three empty bunkers planned in the Beaumont Phase II expansion. This design approach ensures that future growth can occur without major structural redevelopment.
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