I know from contacts I have had with the Minister that he is well aware of this issue. I have also had contacts with the Taoiseach on it. I also know the Minister is well aware of this issue from the meetings he has had not only with Members from Waterford but also with those from the south-east. This is not just a Waterford issue. It is a south-east one.
We must recognise the reality of the suffering people endure in travelling to and from Dublin five days a week. Not everyone can stay in Dublin. This travel requirement is an extreme hardship imposed on these people.
It does not make sense to have two strands of cancer treatment – surgery and chemotherapy – and not have a third strand of radiotherapy. One of the arguments against this is that the model being examined is a unit for every million people. The United Kingdom model has been examined, but it is a much more densely populated country than Ireland. We should examine other countries, for example, Holland, where I understand the model used is one to 500,000 people. There are 440,000 people in the south-east of this country, so we are very close to that number. Is there any way that model could be examined and for us to proceed along those lines? It would bring about the position we are trying to achieve.