Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The word "cancer" strikes fear into many people. Cancer is not just a single illness, it is a series of illnesses. Sometimes our understanding of these illnesses can be simplified by treating them all as one. Nonetheless, cancer is a series of illnesses that has affected so many people. I would say almost everyone in this Chamber has had a loved one or relative who has died as a result of or is currently suffering from cancer. I acknowledge that there is a Deputy present who has recently had a diagnosis and I am delighted to see him here and looking well. It is something that affects so many people.

Prevention is better than a cure, which is one of those clichés, and screening is not prevention but it is the next best thing. It gives us the opportunity to ensure that people are treated in a way that is timely and effective and allows us to ensure that the greatest possible number of individuals who potentially have an illness are treated. It is so important and it is one of the best things this Dáil can do for public health.

There may were good reasons for the decisions which meant that the entire health service had to concentrate on what was the most urgent matter before us at a particular moment earlier in the year but time has moved on and, unfortunately, we have been too slow to restore screening programmes. There is an awful lot of concern out there. Many people, women in particular but also men, are worried and feel that there is a great deal of focus on other activities and that other things are being opened up at the expense of screening programmes. The numbers that are before us are concerning. Fewer than 100,000 screenings were carried out in the first half of the year compared with 500,000 in all of 2019. There is huge work to be done - whether it can be done at all - during the remainder of the year. We urgently need to scale this up. It can help so many people.

See this speech in context