Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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70. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons diagnosed with cancer in the State in each of the past ten years; and the number of deaths from cancer in each of the past ten years. [9276/25]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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The former Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, previously furnished me with data that showed the number of people diagnosed with cancer was increasing every year until 2020 when the pandemic hit. Then it went significantly down. This suggests that people's cancers went undiagnosed when significant elements of the health services were closed down in 2020. To what extent did this happen?

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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In 2013, there were just over 21,000 invasive cancer cases diagnosed in Ireland. By 2022, that figure had risen to 26,000 annually. Of course, the population grew very considerably in that time as well. That increase is in line with projections made by the National Cancer Registry Ireland. With a growing and ageing population increases in cancer cases are to be expected, with cancer being more prevalent as one ages.

While we are seeing more people being diagnosed with cancer, those people are living longer with and beyond cancer. When the concurrent national cancer strategy was published in 2017, there were 150,000 people living following a diagnosis of invasive cancer. That figure has now increased to 220,000. In 2021, there were almost 9,600 deaths from cancer in Ireland. In 2013, that figure was 8,700. While still too high, cancer mortality rates in Ireland are falling faster than the EU average, having fallen by 17% between 2011 and 2021, compared with the EU average of 12%. More than €105 million has been invested in the implementation of the national cancer strategy since 2017. This includes €23 million for cancer services in 2025. That investment has allowed us to recruit more than 670 new staff to cancer services.

This Government is fully committed, as I know everyone in this House is, to developing and improving cancer services. Our investment in cancer services is delivering better outcomes for patients. I will arrange for a table outlining cancer cases and deaths to be provided to the Deputy. I have to say that when I first looked at the data, I was quite struck. I had not realised quite how high the proportion is of people who are dying from cancer. Nevertheless, I take some measure of comfort from our falling mortality rates relative to the rest of the EU and the return that we are getting on investment where more and more people are living with and beyond cancer.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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I look forward to the Minister sending the figures to me. In those figures we know there was a fall of 4,000 in the number of cancer diagnoses in 2020. These are the figures that were given to us by the previous Minister for Health. That fall in cancer diagnoses happened because the Government shut down significant elements of the health service. It stopped the cancer screening processes during that time. This led to a number of people not having their cancers diagnosed in time, and those cancers developed into much more dangerous cancers. What is the Government doing to try to catch up and make sure those individuals get the necessary treatment? I myself had cancer of the skin at that time. I delayed going to the doctor at the time because I listened to the Government's narrative that, unless you were seriously ill, you should not go to the health service. Thank God I was one of the lucky ones to survive it. I am trying to find out how many people died as a result of the delayed diagnoses that happened as a result of the shutting down of the health services in large part in 2020?

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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It is really important to look at where we are versus the rest of Europe in terms of the impact of the investment we deliver. The most important impact is that people are living longer and recovering from cancer and living with and beyond cancer. When we talk about investment, that is what we are trying to achieve. Of course we want to use the resources we have in a way that will deliver the best return on our investment for all of our people. I have spent some time on this. Report after report, whether it is the OECD country cancer profile or the EU analysis, shows that Ireland is doing better beyond its European peers in its cancer performance and mortality rates.

The Deputy is right that there were measures of delayed diagnoses during a period where the health system was shut down for the benefit of the broader community with a highly transmissible lethal virus that was killing many people in this country. The Deputy is right that there was an impact in that respect, but notwithstanding that, our cancer strategy is trying not just to address that but is also trying to make sure we are delivering on the additional services brought by the previous two strategies.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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The Minister is right that Covid killed many people, for sure. Cancer also killed many people, for sure. We have not had a Covid inquiry yet so we do not know the effectiveness or net benefit in terms of saving people's lives of shutting down hospital services and stopping cancer patients getting treatment. The Minister mentioned survival rates. The National Cancer Registry shows Ireland has a breast cancer survival rate of 82%. Sweden has a 7% higher rate and Britain a 5% higher rate. It is not just about geography; it is also whether you use the public or private system. If you go by the private system for breast cancer, you have a 12% better chance of surviving for five years.

There are a number of things I would like the Minister to address and I understand she will not be able to do them all in this question but I want the Government to tackle what happened in 2020 and the effect it had on cancer sufferers. Also, why are we not as good as the likes of Sweden and England in terms of survival rates for breast cancer? Why is it the case that if you are on a low income and use the private sector, you are 12% less likely to survive over five years?

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I am a supporter of the public health system. That is what I am trying to drive investment into. I would like to see everybody treated in the public system. That is what this programme for Government and this House is about. It is about Sláintecare and delivering the best service in the public health system. My concern is making sure that happens.

The Deputy has cited Sweden and the UK and it is important we do that. We want to be the best and for the people of Ireland to have the best experience. The Deputy is quite right to highlight where other countries are doing better. I am always interested in why and how that is happening. I always want to have the conversation about how we do this better. However, I also recognise the progress we are making. Our cancer mortality rates are falling faster than the EU 27 average and than our economic peers. Our EU country cancer profile in 2025 comments favourably on the measures taken to reduce cancer risk and prevention-----

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Thanks, Minister.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Excuse me.