David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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581. To ask the Minister for Health the cost of fully implementing the cancer strategy; and the amount allocated to the strategy to date. [28674/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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597. To ask the Minister for Health the funding requirements for full implementation of the national cancer strategy. [28690/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 581 and 597 together.

The Government is committed to the implementation of the National Cancer Strategy and to improving the services patients receive.

The Government continues to build on our investment and strategic approach to cancer control. Development funding of €105m has been allocated to cancer treatment and screening services since 2017, including €63m to progress the National Cancer Strategy over the years 2021 to 2025. There has been capital investment of over €120m which has delivered two new radiation oncology centres – one in Cork and one in Galway – improving access to radiotherapy treatment. Funding since 2017 has enabled 670 staff to be recruited to national cancer services (200 nurses, 100 consultants, and 180 health and social care professionals).

Additional funding of €8.5m has been provided over 2024 and 2025 for psychosocial supports during and after treatment.

This has enabled the extension of population cancer screening, increased access to therapies and services, and improved quality of life for people with cancer. Survival has improved and the number of people living after an invasive cancer diagnosis have increased from 150,000 in 2017 to 220,000 in 2022 (the latest figures available).

Funding for current expenditure, including the National Cancer Strategy, is allocated on an annual (single-year) basis through the Estimates process with future levels of funding considered as part of the national estimates and budgetary process.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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582. To ask the Minister for Health the cost of fully implementing the stroke strategy; and the amount allocated to the strategy to date. [28675/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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620. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of implementing the national stroke strategy in full. [28714/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 582 and 620 together.

The HSE National Stroke Strategy 2022-2027 aims to modernise and reform stroke services in line with Sláintecare policy and address the challenges facing Ireland from population ageing and the predicted increase in the total number of strokes right across Europe, including Ireland. The strategy provides a blueprint for investment in stroke services over the five-year period from 2022 to 2027 and is based on a required overall investment of approximately €37m.

This government is fully committed to supporting improvements and advances in stroke services and will build on the €13.5m in funding allocated to the HSE National Stroke Strategy since its publication in 2022. The funding allocated to the National Stroke Strategy to date has enabled significant new developments such as:

• the expansion of the GP Contract to include opportunistic case finding of High Blood Pressure for those with a GMS/GP visit card. This contract is now in place, and the service commenced in Q1 2024. This measure initially applied to over 45-year-olds but has now been expanded to include those 18 years and over.
• Funding was secured to purchase monitoring equipment in 2023 to complement existing services in blood pressure and atrial fibrillation management in 15 sites admitting acute stroke patients.
• the recruitment of 12 posts to support acute stroke units, endovascular thrombectomy centres and the expansion of Early Supported Discharge (ESD) teams in the community from 6 to 11 teams (target is 21 ESD teams nationally).
• funding also contributed towards a public awareness campaign to highlight the signs of stroke, which we know saves lives, and I understand this is on target to launch later this year, in 2025.
• Bespoke projects in secondary prevention and rehabilitation, carried out by the Cork Stroke Support Centre and Croí have also been funded. These align with relevant areas in the strategy as well as providing support to survivors in remote regions of the country.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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583. To ask the Minister for Health the cost of fully implementing the maternity strategy; and the amount allocated to the strategy to date. [28676/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Progressing women's health continues to be a priority for the Government.

New development funding allocated to the National Maternity Strategy is determined as part of the Budget process. Funding is allocated on an annual basis, linked to progressing outstanding Strategy actions and, as such, can vary from year to year.

A total of €28 million in new development funding has been invested through the Strategy from 2016-2025. This has enabled the recruitment of over 530 whole time equivalent (WTE) staff across the country. This investment forms part of an overall €80 million invested across our maternity and gynaecology services since the start of the Strategy.

Work is continuing to deliver all actions of the Strategy, driven by new development funding of €2 million in Budget 2025 (with a Full Year Cost of €4 million in 2026). The priorities for this funding include:

• Additional Specialist Midwives to enhance women’s access to midwife-led care.
• Driving improvements in the safety of our maternity services through research, audit and new clinical guidelines.
• Recruiting more genetic counsellors and supporting staff to expand a new National Perinatal Genomics Service; evaluating, diagnosing, managing and treating anomalies before birth.
• Delivering 4 new Postnatal Hubs, to provide women with access to postnatal care in the community and away from a hospital environment. Investment in 2025 will bring the national network to 13 Postnatal Hubs.

These developments are also supported in investment in infrastructure through the HSE Capital Plan.

The Department of Health and the HSE are currently undertaking work to assess the outstanding actions of the Strategy in preparation for Budget 2026.

All of these developments, delivered under the Strategy, are supporting improved choices for women and driving safe, high quality, nationally consistent, woman-cantered maternity care.