Written answers

Thursday, 26 May 2022

Photo of Alan DillonAlan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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335. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider increasing the screening age limit for bowel and breast screening from 69 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24517/22]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I am fully committed to supporting our population screening programmes which are a valuablepart of our health service, enabling early treatment and care for many people, and improving the overall health of our population.

BreastCheck currently invites women aged 50 to 69 for screening. Extending the programme to those up to the age 69 was a Programme for Government commitment which I am pleased to note has been met and is now being implemented. The Programme for Government also commits to extending the age range for BowelScreen, which currently invites people aged 60 to 69, to those aged 55 to 74, and the HSE is planning to begin this expansion.

Decisions about changes to our national screening programmes, such as further widening the age eligibility range, will be made on the advice of our National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC). This independent expert group considers and assesses evidence in a robust and transparent manner, and against internationally accepted criteria. It is important we have rigorous processes in place to ensure our screening programmes are effective, quality assured and operating to safe standards, and that the benefits of screening outweigh the harms.

The NSAC held its first 'Annual Call’ in 2021, which gave the public an opportunity to suggest new screening programmes or changes to existing ones. I am pleased to inform that the Committee have already considered some of the proposals that it received at its meeting in February 2022, including those relating to the existing national cancer screening programmes and made a number of decisions.

Following submissions received from several sources, including from BreastCheck, the Committee has decided to ask HIQA to look at the evidence to further extend the age ranges for breast screening.

The Committee has also decided to ask HIQA to look at further extending the age range for bowel screening, beyond that already committed to.

I look forward to updating you further as the work progresses, while acknowledging that these processes can take time to undertake a thorough evaluation of the evidence and the potential benefits and costs. However, these recent NSAC decisions are an important step in progressing our policy on cancer screening with a view to further improving the outcomes for our population.

It is important to remind that screening is for healthy people without symptoms, and I would advise anyone to take up their invitation for screening when they receive it. If anyone becomes aware of symptoms, or if they have concerns or worries, they should contact their GP who will arrange appropriate follow-up care.

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