Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Health whether any assessment has been made of the effectiveness of screening provisions for (i) breast cancer; and (ii) cervical cancer.
Minister of Health: The effectiveness of screening programmes is assessed by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), the independent committee that advises the four nations on screening matters, as part of its role. The UK NSC evaluates the evidence on mortality and morbidity reduction, disease prevention, test performance, uptake, cost-effectiveness and potential harms and makes recommendations on screening programmes, to include breast cancer and cervical cancer screening.
The Northern Ireland Cancer Registry ‘Routes to Diagnosis,’ report, published in 2026, found that 52.7% of breast cancers in eligible women and 44.1% of cervical cancers in eligible women, between 2018 and 2022, were diagnosed through the screening pathways. More detail can be found within the report: https://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/file-store/pdf/Routes%20to%20diagnosis%202018-2022.pdf
ENDS
