I rise to highlight deeply concerning testimony given to the Oireachtas committee on higher education by Ms Angela Clayton-Lea, chief executive officer of Cancer Trials Ireland, and Dr. Veronica McInerney, programme manager. They made it clear that Ireland is facing a significant shortfall in clinical trials, which are not an optional extra but a vital component of modern cancer care. Clinical trials give patients earlier access to innovative and potentially life-saving treatments. They improve outcomes, drive the development of better therapies and ensure that our Irish clinicians remain connected to global advances in cancer care. They also attract investment into Ireland and strengthen our healthcare as a whole. Yet, despite these benefits, Ireland continues to lag behind comparable EU countries. The current national cancer strategy sets a target of 6% of cancer patients participating in clinical trials. It is just not ambitious enough. We should be striving to meet the 10% target recommended by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes.

The most shocking revelation at that committee was the stark geographical inequity in research funding. Between 2021 and 2026, approximately €10.8 million has been allocated to Dublin and the east while a mere €600,000 has been allocated to Limerick and the mid-west. I will say that again. Some €10.8 million has been allocated to Dublin and the east while a mere €600,000 has been allocated to Limerick and the mid-west. That is not a funding gap; it is a further example of healthcare discrimination for people living in Limerick and the mid-west. It means that cancer patients in the mid-west have virtually no opportunity to access clinical trials. Accident and emergency access, dentistry and now access to clinical trials for cancer patients - how did we get to this point?

I acknowledge the positive news that 43 acres in Raheen have been acquired by HSE Mid West and the steps that this coalition Government is taking to address the hospital facilities shortage at University Hospital Limerick, UHL. I am also calling on the Minister for Health to urgently address this cancer treatment imbalance. Access to clinical trials in Limerick could literally be the difference between life and death for some patients. I call on the Minister to ensure that this inequity is fully considered by the project board overseeing the new campus development at UHL on the recently acquired 43-acre site. We cannot continue to tolerate a two-tier system in healthcare. The people of Limerick and the mid-west deserve equal access, equal opportunity and equal hope.