THE HEAD of the National Cancer Screening Service Tony O’Brien, has apologised to the Minister for Health Mary Harney for misleading her on the reason behind delays in rolling out the BreastCheck screening programme in Co Clare.
On Tuesday night in the Dáil, Minister of State at the Department of Health Áine Brady, on behalf of Ms Harney, laid the blame for the delay in the rollout of the national breast-cancer screening programme in Clare on Clare County Council.
Based on information provided to the department by the screening service, which manages BreastCheck, Ms Brady told the Dáil the council advised BreastCheck planning permission would be required for its mobile unit.
Ms Brady told the Dáil: “No other city or county council has ever required planning permission for the temporary location of a mobile breast screening unit. Months of extensive negotiation between Clare County Council and BreastCheck followed.” She said the council recently waived its requirement for planning permission.
However, Ms Brady’s statement was rebutted by the council yesterday, which said her account was incorrect. A spokesman said: “At no point was there any specification made regarding planning permission” in discussions with BreastCheck.
The council said not only did it not have any planning difficulties with the mobile unit but it offered to locate the unit in the grounds of its headquarters in Ennis.
Last night, Mr O’Brien said he apologised to Ms Harney, Ms Brady and the Clare county manager, Tom Coughlan, for the error.
Mr O’Brien confirmed he spoke by phone to Mr Coughlan yesterday. “It wasn’t appropriate to state that the fault lay with the council,” he said. Mr O’Brien said the wrong information was provided to the Minister “as a result of a misunderstanding”.“Any incident where you have to make a retraction is embarrassing. We wish it hadn’t happened,” he said.
Mr O’Brien said BreastCheck intends to locate the screening unit at the council’s offices in the autumn “and we will stay there until every woman in the 50-64 age group in Clare is screened”.
A council spokesman said it accepted Mr O’Brien’s apology.
