asked the Minister for Health if she intends to authorise St. James's Hospital, Dublin to proceed with the bone marrow transplant unit as over £200,000 has now been collected by the Bone Marrow Trust Foundation in line with the pledge which was given by the committee of that foundation to her Department.

669.

asked the Minister for Health how many people are currently awaiting bone marrow transplant operations; and if she can give any figures of how many people have gone to the UK in the last year for operations for such transplants.

670.

asked the Minister for Health how many applications have been made to the various health boards throughout the country for financial assistance to have bone marrow transplants carried out abroad in the latest year for which figures are available.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 668, 669 and 670 together. I have agreed in principle to the provision of a bone marrow transplant service at St. James's Hospital and I am at present considering how this service can be funded.

Information about the number of patients awaiting operations for bone marrow transplant in this country is not readily available. However, from inquiries made I understand that patients have been referred abroad by health boards for treatment of this condition in the past year. The respective boards have assisted these patients financially to the extent that was considered necessary.