I thank Deputy Cullinane for bringing forward this motion this evening. The national cancer strategy is due to be reviewed. As has been evidenced by the Deputies who have spoken before me, while the targets that are set are very logical and would ensure that people get the treatment they need within an appropriate timeframe, in many cases, they are clearly not being met. That is not the case just in one place in the country but across the entire country. I know of a gentleman in my own constituency who had a cancer diagnosis. He was waiting for radiotherapy and contacted the hospital in Galway, which he has to travel to all the way from Leitrim, and was told he was on a waiting list. After several weeks of my office trying to deal with the HSE, he was finally able to move ahead with his treatment but he and his family were extremely stressed because his brother had previously passed away from the same type of cancer he had been diagnosed with. Many people find themselves in that situation. The Minister of State has tabled an amendment to our motion that states how great everything is going but that is unfortunately not the experience of a great many people. That is very difficult to say because, in fairness, the HSE and the health service have traditionally provided a very good service, particularly when it comes to cancer care. Most people would say that, once you got into the system, you were treated fast, you were dealt with quickly and things progressed as you needed them to. That has changed in the past number of years and particularly in the past 12 to 18 months. I know from talking to my colleagues that many people across every constituency are experiencing the very same thing. There are delays and there is difficulty in accessing treatment and in getting diagnostics. When we talk to the clinicians and the hospitals, they tell us that staffing, medical equipment and facilities are all problems. All of these things need to be dealt with. While the Government's countermotion may suggest it is going to produce the answers, we are very doubtful it will.

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