During the Order of Business in the Seanad, I said: In Britain and Denmark, a home testing kit has been developed in the fight against bowel cancer. This is a useful development and one we should seriously consider...

The Minister for Health and Children has stated that she intends to introduce a scheme but it will be limited to hospitals and begin in 2012.

I urge her to investigate what is being done in other countries at a much lower cost. They have a system for getting things done, mainly for those who are open to the dangers of this disease.

I gather the success rate for treating bowel cancer is approximately 90% if it is caught early enough. We could do something about this disease with a comparatively limited amount of investment.