AQW 46568/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 19/05/2026
Answered On Date: 05/06/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail any steps that his Department is taking to improve access to bowel cancer screening services.

Answer:

The Northern Ireland Bowel Cancer Screening Programme currently invites eligible individuals, aged between 60 and 74 years old, every two years to participate in the screening programme. Invitations and home test kits are automatically sent by post to the address registered with a GP.

Work to expand the Northern Ireland Bowel Cancer Screening Programme down to 50 years of age, in line with the UK National Screening Committee recommendation, is ongoing but must be viewed within the context of wider financial and capacity challenges within the supporting services.