The Taoiseach says no-one at risk of developing certain cancers will be forced to wait 18 months for testing. Enda Kenny has been quizzed in the Dáil amid claims there is an 18 month waiting list for a test on certain hereditary cancers.

Enda Kenny says a new strategy is being put in place for identifying at-risk categories in the treatment of breast cancer.

But he has avoided claims that women are being forced to wait up to 18 months for a DNA test that could identify the faulty gene that increases the risk of some cancers.

He was quizzed in the Dáil in the wake of the revelation yesterday by actress Angelina Jolie that she has undergone a preventative double mastectomy.

Jolie said in an article for The New York Times that her mother fought cancer for 10 years before her death.

She wrote: "My doctors estimated that I had an 87% risk of breast cancer and a 50% risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman. Only a fraction of breast cancers result from an inherited gene mutation. Those with a defect in BRCA1 have a 65% risk of getting it, on average".

"Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimise the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy" she added.

Jolie revealed that she had the first of three procedures on February 2nd. The major surgery "where the breast tissue is removed and temporary fillers are put in place" was carried out 2 weeks later.

In the Dail today, Mr. Kenny said people will not be forced to wait for screening.