Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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365. To ask the Minister for Health if she will consider making breast checks free of charge for women over 70 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27758/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I am 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.

BreastCheck, the National Breast Screening Programme, currently invites women aged 50 to 69 years at regular intervals to have a screening mammogram. The Programme for Government commits to raising the age for the BreastCheck screening programme in line with updated standards from HIQA and work will shortly begin to establish whether the current age range should be extended.

I am intent on advancing the cancer screening commitments outlined in the Programme for Government, which will be facilitated through established protocols. The National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) is the independent expert group that considers proposed changes to Ireland’s screening programmes. NSAC assesses the evidence in a robust and transparent manner, and against internationally accepted criteria, before making recommendations to myself as Minister for Health. The rigorous processes utilised by NSAC are critical to ensure that 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 progressing work to consider the further expansion of our cancer screening programmes and has submitted a request to the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), which has a section dedicated to undertaking evidence synthesises on behalf of the Committee, to assess the evidence for a proposed expansion to the age range eligibility of the BreastCheck programme to include those aged 45 to 49 years and those aged 70 to 74 years.

I should highlight that HIQA is currently focused on the conclusion of two Health Technology Assessment (HTA) processes to examine a proposed age-range expansion to the BowelScreen programme and the potential development of a screening programme for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA). The evidence review for the expansion of BreastCheck remains a key priority for NSAC and is expected to commence later this year.

HTAs facilitate the assessment of relevant evidence and knowledge on the effects and consequences of healthcare technologies to guide decisions regarding the appropriate use of technology and efficient allocation of resources. They involve a multi-disciplinary assessment of the clinical, economic, ethical, legal and societal perspectives that may be impacted by the introduction of a new technology. They are time-intensive and rigorous processes. Both elements of the BreastCheck review are anticipated to be complex and will take time to ensure that any recommendations made to me by NSAC are underpinned by a robust evidence-base.

Significant investment continues to be made in our cancer screening programmes. In Budget 2025, €2.9 million of additional funding was allocated to the BreastCheck programme to support the recruitment of 22 Whole Time Equivalent posts. This will assist in expanding and futureproofing the programme to meet increased demand.

Finally, I would like to emphasise that population-based screening programmes are for people without symptoms. If anyone becomes aware of symptoms, or if they have concerns or worries, they should contact a medical professional.