Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

No, that was very helpful. On unmet targets, such as smoking reduction rates, it would appear that in places like France, the Netherlands and Belgium, smoking rates are much higher than they are here, at least in public. What comparisons, if any, have been made with the causes for the eventual diagnosis? Do those countries have higher levels of cancer cases detected as a result? What is the reason, if any?

Screening has not been expanded as planned. Target waiting times for cancer tests are consistently exceeded. Maybe the witnesses could give us a flavour of that to get an idea of the extent. There are last minute cancellations by health institutions or patients, which is most important. Patients struggle to access key supports such as dieticians and lymphedema treatment. Will the witnesses give us a quick response on each of those issues about the fundamental nature of their particular contribution to the fight against cancer?