Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 March 2026
286. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on her Departments plans to establish a National Radiation Therapy Machine Replacement Programme, to replace the current regional model (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17430/26]
View answerUnder the National Plan for Radiation Oncology (NPRO), an equipment replacement programme is currently in place across St Lukes Rathgar, St. James’s Hospital campus and Beaumont Hospital along with a phased expansion at Beaumont. The replacement programme is being progressed under the National Development Plan and is included in the Capital Plan 2026 and the Health Sectoral Plan 2026 -2030.
There are 23 Linear Accelerators (linacs) ranging in age from three to 18 years old, located across five public hospital locations: St Luke's Rathgar, Beaumont, St James, Galway University Hospital and Cork University Hospital.
State of the art radiation oncology centres opened in Cork and Galway in 2019 and 2023 respectively, representing €120 million capital investment. The linear accelerators at St Luke's Rathgar, Beaumont and St James’s Hospitals were installed between 2008 and 2016.
The HSE advises that the typical lifespan of a Linac is 10 - 15 years, although some can be used for longer. The lifespan of a machine depends on many factors, including the type of linac, how it is used, how it is maintained and the manufacturer support lifespan including software upgrades.
The Preliminary Design process for linac replacement within the St Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network in Dublin is ongoing. In addition, tenders for the main contract for the Beaumont Phase 2 expansion and replacement project are due to issue in the coming weeks.
