John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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213. To ask the Minister for Health the plans his Department has to implement the national cancer care strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11714/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The implementation of the National Cancer Strategy is a Programme for Government commitment and is part of the implementation of Sláintecare. We have seen significant progress on the implementation of the Strategy over the past six years, with clear evidence-based policy direction from my Department and strong implementation by the HSE's National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP).

The National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 Implementation Report 2022is currently being prepared, and it is hoped that this Report will be published in early Q2, 2023. My Department continues to work with the NCCP to implement the recommendations of the Strategy in 2023, including the recruitment of staff into cancer services and the improvement of services for patients.

As part of Budget 2022, €20m in new development funding was allocated for implementation of the National Cancer Strategy and €15m for new cancer drugs. The annual Implementation Report will outline how this funding was used to support ongoing initiatives and to drive improvements across all stages of the cancer continuum, facilitating further developments across prevention, diagnosis, treatment and patient supports.

The full text of the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 and Implementation Reports for previous years (2018-2021) can be found on gov.ie, where they are available to download.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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214. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider the expansion of Ireland's national screening services for cancer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11715/23]

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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215. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider the introduction of a lung cancer-screening programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11716/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 215 together.

I am fully committed to supporting our population screening programmes which are a valuable part of our health service, enabling early treatment and care for many people, and improving the overall health of our population.

Ireland currently operates three population-based cancer screening programmes (BowelScreen, BreastCheck, CervicalCheck), with a September 2022 trend report from the National Cancer Registry stating that our cancer programmes are effective, detecting cancers earlier and saving lives.

Under commitments in the Programme for Government, BreastCheck eligibility has been expanded to women aged 69 years since 2021. The Programme for Government also commits to expanding the age range for BowelScreen to those aged 55 to 74, and the HSE plans to commence this in 2023 with expansion to those aged 59, in addition to the current age range of 60 to 69.

Any decisions about further changes or expansion of cancer screening will be made on the advice of the 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 Committee's first Annual Call (2021) for proposals for new screening programmes or changes to our existing programmes, received a significant response with over 50 submissions. Among these submissions were proposals related to cancer screening, including for the introduction of lung cancer screening. Submissions were received from various sources, including members of the public and patient advocates, and underwent consideration by the committee at its scheduled meetings during 2022. The Committee recently published its Work Programme on its website.

The Committee has already progressed some work on the expansion of cancer screening and has asked HIQA to look at the evidence for the further expansion of the age range eligibility for both the BowelScreen and BreastCheck programmes.

Under Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, a Proposal for an updated European Council Recommendation on cancer screening was formally approved on 9 December 2022 and published thereafter. The updated Recommendation recommends extended screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer and the gradual introduction of screening for lung, prostate and gastric cancer. The NSAC will consider this Recommendation and advise me and the Department of Health on the evidence as it applies to Ireland.

Ireland will also be actively engaged with the significant ongoing collaborative work at European level to take forward the updated Recommendation on cancer screening.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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216. To ask the Minister for Health if he will re-establish a dedicated cardiovascular unit within his Department to oversee national cardiovascular health policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11717/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services commenced in January 2018 under the Chairmanship of Professor Phillip Nolan and a Steering Group formed from nominations of interested stakeholders representing medical, professional/technical staff, nursing and patient representatives.

The aim of the Cardiac Services Review is to recommend configuration for a national adult cardiac service to achieve optimal patient outcomes at population level with particular emphasis on the safety, quality and sustainability of the services that patients receive. This aligns with the Sláintecare reform programme. In terms of scope, the National Review covers scheduled and unscheduled hospital-based services for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease in adults. The National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services will inform recommendations for the governance and leadership of cardiac services nationally.

Substantial progress has been made on the National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services and it held the final NRCS Steering Group meeting IN Q4 2022. The NRCS Report is finalised and due to be presented to the Minister in Q1, 2023.