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.
The Programme for Government commits to extending the BowelScreen cancer screening programme and also to extending the ages for the BreastCheck screening programme, in line with updated standards from HIQA.
BowelScreen, the national bowel screening programme, invites men and women aged between 58-70 to take the free at-home screening test. Funding of €1.9 million was allocated in Budget 2025 to support the extension of BowelScreen to individuals aged 58 to 70. The first part of this extension, to those aged 70, was successfully completed in April 2025, with those aged 58 receiving invitations since November 2025. 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.
BreastCheck, the National Breast Screening Programme, currently invites women aged 50 to 69 years at regular intervals to have a screening mammogram. In Budget 2025, an additional €2.9 million was allocated to the BreastCheck programme to support the recruitment of 22 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) posts, with an additional 15 WTE posts approved. This will assist in expanding and future-proofing the programme to meet increased demand.
I would highlight that any proposed changes to Ireland’s cancer screening programmes 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 requests to the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), to consider the evidence for a further expansion of the BreastCheck and BowelScreen programmes.
In December 2025, HIQA submitted the final report of its Health Technology Assessment (HTA) on the proposed extension of the age range eligibility for the BowelScreen programme to those aged 50-54 to NSAC for its consideration. I look forward to receiving a recommendation from NSAC in this regard shortly.
HIQA have also commenced an evidence review to consider changes to the BreastCheck programme. This review will comprise of two elements; a proposed expansion of the age range eligibility to those aged 45-49 and 70-74, and the potential introduction of a standardised breast density notification. Both elements 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.
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.
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.
