Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2026
974. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the details of her Departments plans to implement the EU initiative of “Safe Hearts” to shape cardiovascular policy in Ireland in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17235/26]
View answer977. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the way in which Ireland can lead European Union conversation on cardiovascular health during the upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17238/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 974 and 977 together.
The Strategic Agenda for the Union for 2024-29 sets out priorities and strategic orientations for the EU. It is structured around three pillars, broadly focused on values (a free and democratic Europe), security (a strong and secure Europe), and prosperity (a prosperous and competitive Europe). Ireland’s overall policy approach for the 2026 Presidency is being developed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade around these three priority themes.Ireland’s Presidency Health Agenda will reflect this national and EU position, and aim at positioning health and competitiveness as mutually reinforcing priorities. Ireland will work to strengthen the EU’s focus on population health and wellbeing to address public health challenges through proactive and preventative health measures. We will aim to use our Presidency to accelerate work to update the EU tobacco legislation – to include vapes and other nicotine products which have been strongly promoted by the industry over recent years. I welcome the development of the EU Safe Hearts Plan which was published in December 2025. The EU Safe Heart Plan aims to reduce premature cardiovascular deaths by 25% by 2035 through improved prevention, screening, and treatment across all Member States. The plan emphasises shifting from treatment to prevention, and among other things calls for stronger action against tobacco and smoking. The Safe Hearts Plan also recommends a Council Recommendation on an EU wide standard approach to cardiovascular health checks. This initiative will support national approaches to the development of cardiovascular screening programmes in primary care such as our GP Chronic Disease Management programme.The Programme for Government places a strong focus on cardiovascular health and in the coming years we have committed to the development of a national cardiovascular strategy. We have already started to increase the focus on cardiac service reform. The Budget in 2025 provided for €9 million to progress identified cardiovascular priority services which includes improving access to and using data to inform sustainable future cardiac service delivery. The HSE has published its National Service Plan for 2026, setting out how the HSE will operationalise the Department’s priorities funded in Budget 2026. As outlined in the NSP 2026, a key priority action for the HSE is to progress the implementation of the National Review of Cardiac Services. The Safe Hearts Plan contains 10 ambitious and impactful flagship initiatives and will support all EU member states to develop national cardiovascular plans over the next few years. In Ireland, we will do this first through implementing the recommendations of the National Review of Cardiac Services while also incorporating them into a new National Cardiovascular Plan as committed to in the Programme for Government.
