Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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395. To ask the Minister for Health if funding will be made available and an awareness campaign developed to improve the uptake of bowel cancer screening services to the optimum level to reduce mortality rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21512/17]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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449. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to consider expanding the current BowelScreen programme to persons within the 55 to 74 years of age cohort; the estimated cost involved in extending same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21801/17]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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450. To ask the Minister for Health if adequate funding is being maintained in respect of the national screening service, in particular regarding the BowelScreen programme; and the measures that have been taken to improve the BowelScreen take-up rate. [21807/17]

Séamus Healy (Tipperary, Workers and Unemployed Action Group)
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461. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide additional resources to the national bowel screening service to enable it to take the necessary measures to improve the uptake rate; if he will extend the upper age category to 70 to 74 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21905/17]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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501. To ask the Minister for Health if adequate funding will be provided for the national screening service to enable appropriate and necessary measures to be pursued to improve the BowelScreen uptake rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22119/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 395, 449, 450, 461 and 501 together.

BowelScreen, the National Bowel Screening Programme, is run by the HSE's National Screening Service. It offers free bowel screening to men and women aged 60-69. The BowelScreen Round One Programme Report, 2012-2015, launched last month, shows that 521 cancers were detected through bowel screening, 3 out of 4 of which were detected at an early stage of cancer development.

The BowelScreen programme is adequately funded and strenuous efforts are being made to improve the uptake rate of this free service, particularly among men who have lower rates of participation but significantly higher rates of cancer detection compared to women. These efforts include digital and social media initiatives, as well as targeted radio and press advertisements. The BowelScreen website (www.bowelscreen.ie) also provides much information and allows people to check that they are on the register. Also, a range of information leaflets, posters and flyers are available to healthcare professionals.

BowelScreen moved from the initial three year round, to a two year round of screening in 2016. The extension of BowelScreen to the 55-74 age range will be considered in the future in the light of the experience of the current programme and available resources.