405. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health to list the pilot cancer screening programmes in operation; the start date and end date for each, in each of the years between 2019 and 2026. [66192/26]

As Minister for Health, I am determined to support Ireland’s cancer 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. As the Deputy is aware the current cancer screening programmes in operation are CervicalCheck, BreastCheck and BowelScreen.

The Programme for Government commits to undertake a review of European screening and early detection programmes including for prostate and gastric cancers, to guide any further expansion of screening programmes. It also commits to research, implement and evaluate cancer prevention and early detection initiatives, including prostate cancer and the lung cancer screening pilot in line with WHO criteria and develop recommendations for a way forward.

I am aware of several EU4Health-funded research initiatives underway to assess the feasibility of new cancer screening programmes, many involving Irish-based researchers. This includes the SOLACE consortium for lung cancer, TOGAS for gastric cancer and PRAISE-U for prostate cancer.

I would note that any proposed changes to Ireland’s cancer screening programmes, will be facilitated through established evidence-driven 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.

Recommendations from NSAC are generally based on the findings of comprehensive Health Technology Assessment (HTA) reports, which are undertaken by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) at the request of the Committee.

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.

The findings from the aforementioned pilots/studies are expected to contribute to the evidence base for future consideration by NSAC. I look forward to receiving recommendations from the Committee in due course.

For more information about the pilots, I am setting out links for their respective websites :

• Prostate cancer pilot www.ucd.ie/medicine/news/2025/praiseuprostatecancerpilotscreeningstudybeginsinireland/

• Lung cancer pilot prican.eu/collaborators/solace/

• Gastric cancer pilot bhri.ie/research-themes/general-medicine/

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.