To ask the Minister of Health when Northern Ireland's participation in the UK-wide Best4 screening trial is expected to commence.

I fully recognise the potential value of the Best4 Study and remain supportive of efforts to facilitate participation in Northern Ireland, provided that all legal, governance and confidentiality requirements can be met.

To provide context, the proposed recruitment approach would involve the use of prescribing information held on behalf of my Department to identify individuals who may be eligible for the study. As this information was originally collected for the provision and management of healthcare services, any use of identifiable patient information for research recruitment must be carefully assessed against data protection legislation and the common law duty of confidentiality.

Significant work has been undertaken by my Department and partner organisations to explore options for participation, including legal review, information governance assessment and consideration of alternative recruitment pathways. While progress has been made, further work is required to determine whether a lawful, proportionate and practical recruitment mechanism can be established, including consideration of a public interest case and direct patient invitation approaches. One option currently being explored would allow eligible individuals to be contacted directly without their information first being disclosed to researchers.

I appreciate concerns that the study has commenced elsewhere in the UK while arrangements remain under consideration here. Northern Ireland does not currently have an equivalent statutory mechanism to Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006 and therefore any proposal must also demonstrate a lawful basis for processing and appropriately address the common law duty of confidentiality. As a result, approaches adopted elsewhere cannot simply be replicated in Northern Ireland.

I have asked officials to reengage with the study team to advise on options for participation, determine the details on number of participants required and confirm how costs will be met. Only once these details are established, and all information governance actions have been undertaken, can recruitment of participants commence. Following discussion with statisticians that have experience of undertaking similar exercises, it is estimated that recruitment of participants can commence in November 2026. My Department will continue to keep progress under review.