The Minister for Health, Mary Harney, has denied claims that the Government's Cancer Care Strategy cannot be delivered by 2011 as planned.
Her comments follow the leaking of an internal Health Service Executive document which said the timeframe was 'not achievable'.
Ms Harney said the leaked document had been surpassed by recent developments, and that neither she nor the HSE accepted its contention that the plan could only be fully delivered by 2013 or 2014.
The leaked document also complained that the HSE had not been consulted before the strategy was announced, and pointed out that there was no experience in Ireland with Public Private Partnerships for the provision of health facilities.
John McCormack of the Irish Cancer Society says the plan must be implemented as soon as possible.
