Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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200. To ask the Minister for Health if he will lower the age for cervical screening to 20 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32266/20]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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201. To ask the Minister for Health if he will lower the age for prostate cancer screening to 40 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32267/20]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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204. To ask the Minister for Health if he will lower the age at which women are screened for breast cancer to 30 years of age as a preventative measure for the incidence and mortality from breast cancer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32282/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 200, 201 and 204 together.

A National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) was established in 2019 and has held four 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.

As part of its body of work the Committee will implement an agreed methodology for accepting applications to consider new, or revisions to, existing population-based screening programmes in Ireland.

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

The addition of any new population-based screening programmes or modification to existing programmes will be incorporated as part of the Committee's work programme following a robust, methodologically sound and detailed analysis of the evidence in each and every case against internationally accepted screening criteria.

Updates in relation to screening will be posted on the NSAC website (www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/nsac/).