Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

891. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of increasing funding to BreastCheck by 10%. [18066/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The National Screening Service has responsibility for four population-based screening programmes in Ireland CervicalCheck, Diabetic RetinaScreen, BowelScreen and BreastCheck.  BreastCheck plays a central role in diagnosis and management of breast cancer in Ireland. 

I am pleased that in the Programme for Government we have committed to extend the free screening age range in BreastCheck to those aged 69. This is an important development for the BreastCheck screening programme.

Based on the 2020 allocated funding for the BreastCheck Programme the HSE has advised the impact of a 10% increase in funding for BreastCheck would be €2.8m.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

892. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of increasing funding for CervicalCheck by 10%. [18067/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Government has committed to fully implementing the recommendations of Dr Scally’s Report of the Scoping Inquiry.

Full implementation represents a very broad programme of work incorporating improvements across the National Screening Service and wider health services, and funding to support this work was allocated in Budget 2020, together with funding to support the switch to HPV primary testing. 

The HSE has advised that based on the 2020 allocated funding for CervicalCheck programme the impact of a 10% increase in funding for the programmes would be €4.46m.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

893. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of expanding the new-born screening programme to screen for all diseases for which there is a medical treatment here. [18068/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) was established in 2019 and has held three meetings to date.  The Committee’s role is to undertake an independent assessment of the evidence for screening for a particular condition against internationally accepted criteria and make recommendations accordingly. 

Professor Niall O’Higgins was appointed as Chair of the NSAC in 2019 and was asked that the Committee prioritise an examination of the approaches for the expansion of the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme ('heelprick test') and work in that regard has been progressed by the Committee. 

Ireland has traditionally evaluated the case for commencing a national screening programme against the internationally accepted criteria (collectively known as Wilson Jungner criteria). The evidence bar for commencing a screening programme should and must remain high.  This evidence threshold ensures that we can be as confident as we can be that the programme in question is effective, quality assured and operating to safe standards for the population. 

The Committee will evaluate submissions and provide recommendations on a case by case basis.  A meeting of the NSAC took place on 17 July 2020 where the Committee considered (1) the addition of ADA-SCID to the blood spot screening programme and (2) a change in the screening pathway of the Diabetic RetinaScreen programme and I await the outcome of the discussions of the Committee. 

Financial cost is but one factor that is considered in the decision making process. Due to the complex nature of the evaluation process and the criteria against which a decision is made, it would be impossible to accurately quantify the cost of expanding a screening service until a full evidential assessment was completed.  

Any future potential changes to the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme will be incorporated as part of the Committee's work programme.

Updates in relation to the work of the Committee will be posted on the NSAC website  available at

I am strongly committed to identifying any opportunities that exist in this area and to their implementation.