Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 June 2026
501. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health her views on the role of innovative medicines, national registries and other key system enablers in informing the development of the next National Cancer Strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48649/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to the implementation of the National Cancer Strategy, supported by the reforms and investment delivered under Sláintecare. We have seen significant progress on the implementation of the Strategy over the past nine years.
My Department has invested heavily in the National Cancer Strategy and associated initiatives in recent years, enabling the further development of our national cancer services, and leading to improved outcomes for cancer patients.
Survival rates for patients have improved greatly and OECD data shows that cancer mortality rates in Ireland are falling faster than the EU27 average and faster than our economic peers. Our strategic approach to cancer control has changed the landscape for people who are diagnosed with cancer. Today nearly 250,000 people in Ireland are living with or beyond cancer, 50% more than a decade ago.
It is essential that we continue to build on our investment and progress. Since the beginning of the National Cancer Strategy in 2017, the government has allocated more than €105 million to support cancer services and improve outcomes for patients.
Between 2021 and 2024, approval for reimbursement by the HSE was given for 74 drugs for cancer. The total spend on cancer drugs in this period exceeded €645 million. This is in addition to capital investment of more than €140 million, which has delivered new laboratory facilities, day wards and new radiation oncology facilities to support these innovative therapies.
We also have a strong track record of supporting cancer care with investment in research. Annual investment in cancer research by the Health Research Board has increased significantly in recent years, from €5.4m in 2017 at the start of the current strategy to €9.4m in 2025. Since 2020, the Health Research Board has awarded €43.7 million in cancer research funding, including €21.6 million for clinical trials infrastructure.
In the last ten years we’ve seen the rollout of cutting-edge therapies, including radiolabelled therapy, CAR T-cell therapy for adults and specialised radiotherapy treatments like Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) and Stereotactic Radio Surgery (SRS) which reduce the number of treatment sessions compared to conventional radiotherapy treatment.
As the current National Cancer Strategy comes to its conclusion, an evaluation on the current National Cancer Strategy will be carried out later this year. The evaluation will be informed by The National Cancer Strategy Implementation Reports which annually track the overall progress of the Strategy. The latest Implementation Reports are currently being prepared and finalised prior to publication shortly.
The evaluation will be carried out by my Department working closely with key stakeholders such as the HSE's National Cancer Control Programme and the National Cancer Registry of Ireland. Stakeholders also include patients and their families, healthcare professionals, government agencies, research institutions and advocacy groups among others.
The conclusion of this evaluation process will inform next steps to be taken and I will continue to work with the National Cancer Control Programme and other stakeholders to progress the actions contained in the strategy.
