AQW 52411/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 18/09/2026
Answered On Date: 05/10/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail any steps his Department has taken to increase public awareness of melanoma, in the last three years.

Answer:

The Public Health Agency, in partnership with Cancer Focus NI (CFNI), lead on the delivery of the Department’s Skin Cancer Prevention Strategy which seeks to reduce the incidence of, and deaths from, skin cancer in Northern Ireland.

To date, and over the next 18 months, this current Strategy and the associated Action Plan targets high-risk groups and communities and seeks to:

increase public awareness of the dangers of overexposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight and artificial tanning devices;

reduce the use of artificial tanning devices; and

increase adoption of sun safety behaviours and improve awareness of early signs and self-checking.

To raise public and professional awareness there have been biannual “Sun Awareness Week & Winter Sun” media campaigns; a community pharmacy “Be UV Aware” campaign in April 2026, regular targeting of Social Media messaging toward high-risk groups; professional education; training and awareness initiatives targeted at communities, schools and health care staff; and this is supported by website maintenance and widespread information dissemination.

Additional information is available online at https://careinthesun.org/ which was set up as part of the Northern Ireland Skin Cancer Prevention Strategy.

You may wish to note that a first draft of the proportional end review is currently under consideration by my Department. In the interim, the existing Skin Cancer Prevention Strategy continues to provide the overarching strategic direction. Departmental colleagues are also meeting with appropriate colleagues in the PHA to discuss refreshing the existing Action Plan.