To ask the Minister of Health to outline the budget required for the Women's Health Action Plan.

Mr Nesbitt

The purpose of the plan is to highlight the wide range of policy and service development initiatives that are in progress and outline the actions and improvements that can be delivered over the next three years to improve health outcomes for women. At this stage, the focus is on mapping the work that is already under way across the health and social care system, including, for example, improving maternity, gynae and menopause services, cervical screening and breast cancer services and planning for a mother-and-baby unit, as well as identifying areas where further action is needed, for example, improving public health awareness around women's health; providing more training and education for healthcare professionals on those issues; and promoting healthy lifestyles and tackling health inequalities. My Department will be running a number of engagement events from January, listening to women and further informing the development of the action plan. The pace and extent of delivery will be determined by our available capacity and resources, which remain under extreme pressure, which is well documented. With regard to the budget required, clearly what is desirable exceeds what is available for the foreseeable future. However, many initiatives are under way that have received investment or that can be delivered at low cost or at no additional cost within current budgets: for example, in 2024, the introduction of primary HPV screening for cervical cancer and the delivery of menopause training to many healthcare professionals.

Mr Speaker

That concludes the period for listed questions. We now move on to topical questions.