T2. Ms Nicholl asked the Minister of Health, after wishing him well in his new role, whether he has any plans to reduce the bowel cancer screening age to 50, in line with the UK National Screening Committee's recommendations, on the back of the 'Routes to Diagnosis' report, which showed that 28% of bowel cancers, of which half are diagnosed as stage 4, are detected in emergency settings and showed a significant drop in emergency presentation among the screening population. (AQT 372/22-27)

I thank the Member. Perhaps we should be swapping places for this one, because you have a level of detail that I am afraid that I cannot match on my first day of topical questions. However, cancer is one of the four areas that I identified, as well as mental health, waiting lists and health inequalities, as something that I really want to focus on in the remaining three years of the mandate.

In being the Minister and having a leadership role, it is very important to surround yourself with people who know the things that you do not. Clearly, for example, you have expertise and an interest in this particular area, which I will take back to the relevant staff in the Department of Health, the arm's-length bodies and other stakeholders, as required. I will look at it and promise that, once again, I will study it, reflect on it, make a decision and get back to you in due course.

Thank you, Minister, for your answer. If you are to engage with officials, I urge you to engage with people who are campaigning about bowel cancer. They are the ones with the expertise, not me, and they will be happy to brief you further.

I take the point.