Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity to outline to this House the importance attached by the Department of Health and Children and the Health Service Executive to the issue raised.

The renewed programme for Government states the Government will take further progressive steps building universal health services that provide high-quality health care, fair access and affordability for all, with a focus on several key areas. The first area mentioned is the implementation of the cancer control strategy. Within this, the Government makes a commitment to "expand cancer prevention measures such as colorectal screening and cervical vaccination programmes at the earliest opportunity, in accordance with clinical priorities". The issue is not, therefore, whether the case for a cervical cancer vaccination programme is accepted by the Government, because it is, but how to place such a programme in order of clinical priorities for the allocation of scarce resources available for public health services and for the cancer programme in particular.

The Minister has stated elsewhere that, in respect of cancer prevention and screening measures, she believes the next highest priority now is for a population-based colorectal screening service to be put in place for men and women, subject to a cost-effective method being designed. This is because of the high incidence of colorectal cancer in Ireland, with approximately 2,200 new cases diagnosed every year. There are approximately 950 deaths each year with colorectal cancer as the major cause.

On cervical cancer, all the clinical advice available to the Minister indicates that, in the context of the limited resources available, the national roll-out of a cervical screening programme should take precedence over the introduction of a HPV vaccination programme. Population-based cervical cancer screening carries both immediate and long-term benefits. It carries the significant advantage of delivering earlier benefits than a vaccination programme.

The national cervical screening programme is now well under way. The programme, CervicalCheck, is being successfully implemented at a full-year cost of €43 million. Since its introduction just over a year ago, approximately 250,000 women have been screened. Some 70 to 100 women present with cervical cancer each year. The national screening programme for women aged between 25 and 60 years of age has the capacity to eliminate the incidence of cervical cancer by 80% to 90%.

The highest priority must be attached to implementing and sustaining the national cervical screening programme, even in circumstances where a vaccination programme is added. The Minister is keeping the cost of implementing such a programme under review so that, in accordance with the renewed programme for Government, it may be introduced at the earliest possible opportunity in accordance with clinical priorities.

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