Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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124. To ask the Minister for Health her plans to improve diagnostic pathways and invest in infrastructure to meet target treatment times outlined in the national cancer strategy and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24135/25]

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Each year, more than 44,000 people in Ireland are diagnosed with cancer. It remains one of the leading causes of death, accounting for 30% of all deaths annually. In July 2024, in excess of 172,000 people were waiting more than three months for a diagnostic imaging test, delays that have significant implications for early detection and outcomes. In light of these trends and the commitments made in the programme for Government, will the Minister outline her plans to improve diagnostic pathways and invest in the infrastructure needed to meet target treatment times as set out in the national cancer strategy?

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to the implementation of the national cancer strategy and to improving the services patients receive. Infrastructural developments are a key enabler of timely cancer detection and treatment. Since the launch of the strategy in 2017, more than €140 million has been invested in capital infrastructure. This funding has improved cancer facilities throughout the country. It has delivered the new national cervical screening laboratory hospital and two new radiation oncology facilities in Cork and Galway.

This year, the HSE’s capital plan includes a further €20 million for diagnostic facilities. This will improve access to imaging, endoscopy and laboratories. The plan also includes €12 million for radiation oncology projects. These investments will continue to modernise our cancer care and diagnostic infrastructure.

Access to radiology and diagnostics has been recognised as an issue and I thank the Deputy for highlighting it. The productivity and savings task force published an action plan for 2025 to address this. This commits to greater evening and weekend availability of diagnostic equipment. I have spoken to the CEO of the HSE, Bernard Gloster. On foot of that conversation, he is conducting a review of diagnostic equipment utilisation. The findings will be presented to me along with the waiting list task force in June. This is very important to understand the local nuances of how diagnostic equipment is or is not being used and when it is or is not being used. The Deputy can be sure I have a very direct interest in that.

The Government continues to build on our investment and strategic approach to cancer control. Since 2017, funding of €105 million has been invested in the national cancer strategy. This has enabled the extension of population cancer screening, increased access to therapies and services and improved quality of life for people with cancer but, of course, we need to continue that work.

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the work under way across the health service and I know there is a strong focus on delivering improved cancer outcomes, but the data points to real challenges and real opportunities for improvement. I welcome the commitment from Government and the Minister and acknowledge the investment to date. Ireland still has one of the highest cancer mortality rates in western Europe and one of the highest rates of new diagnosis in the EU. Waiting times for access to new cancer medicines remain a concern, with Irish patients waiting an average of 644 days post-EMA approval, which is longer than many of our European counterparts.

10 o’clock

Our screening participation rates are encouraging in County Kildare, with bowel screening rates above target. However, HPV uptake has dipped slightly since 2019 and the perception of access remains an issue. In Leinster, outside of Dublin, two in five people report delaying care due to system pressures.

We have made progress, which I acknowledge, but more is needed to ensure timely diagnosis, equitable access and improved outcomes.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy raised a number of issues, which I will try to take in turn. On medicines, approval for reimbursement by the HSE was given for 74 cancer drugs between 2021 and 2024. The total spend on cancer drugs in that period exceeded €645 million. We have launched an application tracker and have recruited an additional 34 staff, which is a 100% increase. I expect to see that move more quickly. It is also important that applications are made in a timely way. It is a two-stage process, as the Deputy will understand.

We hope the uptake of HPV will increase across all ages.

It is, of course, important to note it is a good thing that the numbers of diagnoses are increasing. It is a bad thing if the numbers are not increasing, considering our expanding population. We are living longer and detecting more cancers. We are treating more cancers successfully. We are identifying and diagnosing more cancers, particularly as we age. We must understand the implications of that marker. It is not necessarily a bad thing. It is about how we treat it. I will come in again.

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge the work of the Minister and her Department. I encourage the Department to continue prioritising that capital investment. I also encourage the delivery of ring-fenced funding for cancer services, as mentioned by her, which was committed to in the programme for Government. I also encourage the expansion of acute oncology facilities, ensuring patients undergoing treatment are not forced through overburdened emergency departments. We have heard in this House this evening that emergency departments are not the ideal setting for these people.

The national cancer strategy provides a strong roadmap and the commitment is clear. I acknowledge the political will is there. However, as incidence continues to rise and the population grows, as the Minister mentioned, now is the time to match that ambition with pace, particularly in diagnostics where early intervention can change everything. I appreciate, as she said, that as things improve, we will see more diagnoses. That shows the system is working and we are picking up on things, particularly with an ageing population. We must keep the pressure on and continue to work with the Department and the HSE.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I agree with the Deputy. The point about diagnostics is important. It is one of the reasons it is important for me to visit different hospitals and understand the efficiency of their work. Sligo hospital, for example, has two CT machines beside each other, which allows staff to move back and forth between them and thereby increase the number of scans being conducted. Some hospitals use their CT machines between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Others use them between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. This inconsistency can have an impact on diagnostics.

I highlight the increase in the number of radiographers registered with CORU. There was a 10% increase between the end of 2023 and the end of 2024. Numbers are increasing in 2025. It is important that the registration of radiographers who have the capacity to work in Ireland is progressed by CORU efficiently. I would say the same for any other healthcare professionals who want to work in Ireland. If they are entitled to, they should be able to do so quickly. That might be an interesting programme of work for the health committee.

On rapid access clinics, I will be able to give the Deputy more detailed information but I am over time.