Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I reiterate that the Minister supports the future direction within the national screening programme as set out in the expert reference group's reports. The Deputy outlined a few views, which I will relay to the Minister and the Department. The publication of these reports represents another important milestone in implementing the Scally report and the ongoing work to improve public confidence in our cancer screening services.

As we all know, screening saves lives and it is important that we have high-quality and sustainable screening services in Ireland. The Deputy appealed to people who have received a letter to turn up for the screening services. Sometimes, when people receive such a letter, we need to encourage them to appreciate its urgency. Implementing these reports will significantly improve our system to ensure we save as many lives as possible through screening in the future.

I again thank the Deputy for his views and the information he outlined, which I will relay to the Minister and the Department. We hope to have an answer for the Deputy in the coming days.

See this speech in context