Health Services Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-23 ============================================================ Mary Butler (FF), Waterford I thank Senator Cosgrove for the opportunity to discuss this important matter of breast density notification. I have just come from the Dáil Chamber where I took a Topical Issue matter in relation to the important matter of breast screening. I am taking both on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. The first thing I want to mention, and the Senator said it as well, is the importance of breast screening. Unfortunately, only 70% of people take up their appointment; one out of every three does not. Any time we are speaking about women's health, and we are all unified in this, the more people who go for screening, the better. That is the first piece. One third of all breast cancers of the 3,500 every year are identified through BreastCheck. That is the first point I want to make. We are all in agreement about how important it is. To move on to the matter of breast density notification, which is a really important thing, depending on a woman's body shape, as to whether breast density can be identified. It is common; around half of all women have dense breasts. It is a normal variation in breast tissue. Breast density is one of several factors that can influence breast cancer risk. It is very important to say, however, that having dense breasts does not mean someone will develop breast cancer. High levels of breast density can make mammograms more difficult to interpret in some women. However, breast density alone does not automatically mean that further imaging is required. Decisions about additional imaging are made on an individual basis by the clinical team as part of a women's assessment and diagnosis. BreastCheck mammograms remain the best screening test available for population breast screening for women aged 50 to 69 years of age. It can save lives by finding many cancers early, often before symptoms develop. It is important to know that mammography detects the majority of breast cancers, including in women with dense breasts. Consideration of any changes in Ireland's screening programmes is facilitated through established, evidence-driven protocols. The national screening advisory committee is an independent expert group that advises the Minister for Health on any proposed changes to Ireland's screening programmes. As Senator Cosgrove noted, at the request of the committee, the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, has commenced a health technology assessment, HTA, to consider proposals for expansion of the BreastCheck programme. This is democracy in action. This is women with lived experience bringing their concerns forward through a committee, with recommendation made to the Minister and that recommendation has now gone to HIQA. This review will comprise of three distinct components. First is the proposed extension of the age range eligibility to those aged 45 to 49, which I agree with. Second is the extension of age range to those aged 70 to 74. Again, I think that is really important. Third is the potential introduction of a standardised breast density notification. That is what the Senator is talking about. She talked about someone who went privately. I am not sure if it is across all private or if it was just that individual case. It is an interesting point. I do think the potential introduction of a standardised breast density notification would be really important to support women. The HTA facilitates the assessment of relevant evidence on the effects and consequences of healthcare technologies or programmes. They seek to guide decisions regarding the appropriate use of technology and efficient allocation of resources. They involve a multidisciplinary assessment of clinical, economic, ethical, legal and societal perspectives that may be impacted by the introduction of a new technology or programme. The Minister for Health wants to be in a position to develop services that are clinically effective and have positive health outcomes. She needs to be informed by the experts in order to do this. I will certainly discuss this with the Minister. She is not available today as there are a lot of budget talks going on. It is something I have heard about from my own friends, from colleagues and from Senator Cosgrove, who is such an advocate for women's health, and I compliment her on that. I have no problem coming into the Seanad any time to discuss women's health. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-09-23/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:49+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-09-23