John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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658. To ask the Minister for Health if the free national bowel screening process ends at the age of 65 years; if so, his views on if this is best considering people over the age of 65 years would be more prone to bowel cancer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36077/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Since October 2023, BowelScreen, the national bowel cancer screening programme, invites men and women aged between 59-69 to take the free at-home screening test. This is an important part of a phased approach to expanding the screening age, in line with available capacity and resources. When full expansion is complete, people aged 55-74 will be invited for screening.

It is important to be aware that any decisions about changes or expansion of our screening programmes will be made on the advice of the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC). This is an independent expert group that considers and assesses evidence in a robust and transparent manner, and against internationally accepted criteria. It is important that 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.

In this regard, I am pleased to report that NSAC is already progressing work to consider the further expansion of our cancer screening programmes. In 2023, the Committee asked the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to evaluate the evidence for the further expansion of the age range eligibility for the BowelScreen programme to those aged 50-54. HIQA will complete a Health Technology Assessment and this process takes considerable time. Work has already commenced in this regard and a report is expected to be submitted to NSAC for consideration in 2025.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to ensure that we continue to encourage everyone aged 59-69 to sign up to take the screening test. The BowelScreen test can help prevent cancer from developing. If bowel cancer is found early, it is easier to treat and there's a better chance of recovery. As with any cancer screening programme, BowelScreen is for healthy people without symptoms. It is vital that anyone who has symptoms they are concerned about, at any age, contacts their GP for appropriate follow-up care.