Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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2. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the impact on a number of cancer care programmes arising from the decision not to award any new development funding to the national cancer strategy in budget 2024, specifically the planned centralisation of surgical cancer services, the new model of patient follow-up and survivorship and plans for acute oncology nursing services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2015/24]

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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My question relates to funding for cancer care programmes arising from the decision not to award any new development funding to the national cancer strategy in budget 2024, specifically on the planned centralisation of surgical cancer services, the new model of patient follow-up and survivorship and plans for acute oncology nursing services.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for the question, which is on a matter that is very close to my own heart. The advancement of cancer services for patients in Ireland is a priority for me and the Government. The Deputy will be aware that we allocated €40 million to the national cancer strategy. That money has been put to very good use by our healthcare workers. We have hired nearly 400 additional staff with that funding, including more than 140 nurses and 40 consultants. We also allocated €30 million to new cancer drugs in that period. There has, therefore, been a very sizeable investment.

The Deputy's question looks to the future. It says that is great and important but asks what is next. This year, while budget 2024 did not include specific ring-fenced funding for the national cancer strategy, there will be significant investment in the progress of cancer services nonetheless. The Deputy will be aware that I recently allocated €20 million for new medicines for this year. We are also targeting an additional €10 million in savings from the drugs budget. The intention is to provide €30 million for new drugs this year. Typically, approximately one third of that will go to cancer drugs. That will be new investment in new treatments and medicines for patients.

We are also opening and staffing many more beds and we will hire more than 2,000 more healthcare professionals this year. We are hiring several hundred more consultants this year, a number of whom will be oncologists and other healthcare professionals working in oncology.

While there is no ring-fenced funding for the national cancer control programme, there will, nonetheless, be important and additional capacity and, therefore, services available to cancer patients this year through the budget.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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That is recognised. The Minister mentioned the €40 million but that is since 2017, when this national cancer strategy came into being. It is said that we need €20 million per year to implement the national cancer strategy. While the funding for new medicines and increased capacity across the health service will help, the Minister will note that the national cancer strategy is aimed at early detection and prevention. We need to see investment in that.

The surgical oncology centralisation project, which supports cancer surgery, the national plan for radiation oncology, the phase 2 expansions and radio therapy services enhancements were not mentioned. These are all specific areas in the HSE's national service plan that need investment. We need to see funding going to them. It is not enough to speak broadly of investment in the health service and hope that investment raises the level of service provision in these specific areas of the HSE service plan. We need more detail and funding, which we have not seen from the Government in the two most recent budgets.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The €40 million was provided for 2021 and 2022, not since 2017. Those were the first two budgets of this Government. I asked exactly the same question the Deputy raised, namely, what is the full amount of funding sought under the national cancer strategy. The answer I was given was €20 million. In budget 2021, I allocated the full €20 million and a lot of money for new medicines. In 2022, I allocated a further €20 million, so that was €40 million for 2021 and 2022. The HSE was not able to use the full €20 million in both years so we retained the money and the HSE's was able to keep hiring sanctioned staff. That happened right through 2023. The Deputy will be aware that the HSE hired over 1,000 more staff than it was funded to hire in 2023. As a result, there have been many important new services and quicker access for cancer patients. I will refer to that in my next response.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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As the Minister knows, the national cancer strategy is an ambitious but realistic document. There is a real risk that cancer outcomes, which have been trending in a more positive direction in recent years, will begin to go backwards if we do not see that funding continued in the specific areas that have been outlined.

There seems to be a disconnect between what the Minister is saying here and what the advocacy groups, the Oireachtas cross-party group on cancer, the Irish Cancer Society and other groups are seeing. Some engagement in the first quarter of this year by the Minister and his Department with the Irish Cancer Society on the specifics of the roll-out of the cancer strategy would be welcome. I would look forward to his response on that.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I would look forward to that. For years the Irish Cancer Society advocated for the abolition of inpatient hospital charges. We delivered that last year and the Irish Cancer Society deserves great credit for it. Many of the groups argue that we need quicker access. I am pleased to note that due to the investment in 2021, 2022 and 2023, waiting times are down across the board. Waiting times for patients are down across the rapid access clinics for breast, lung and prostate, which is a great testament to the work being done. Last year, over 46,000 patients were seen, 11,000 cancer surgeries were performed and nearly 90,000 chemotherapy and other systemic anti-cancer treatments were carried out. There is, therefore, a lot of work going on. New services are being provided. The CAR-T cell therapy service in St. James's Hospital for children is revolutionary and mind-blowing. I have also allocated €3 million to the fantastic community cancer support groups this year. We will keep investing in and growing these services. There will be more and newer treatments and quicker access, as well as more holistic support, not just intensive hospital-based support but also community-based and psychosocial supports that patients and families need.