To ask the Minister of Health whether he has any plans to develop a new lung health strategy.

Department of Health officials and PHA staff are currently undertaking work to improve respiratory services across the region.

To date this has included, the establishment of a new Northern Ireland Respiratory Forum, which includes representatives from DoH, PHA, NIAS, Healthcare Professionals, Trust Management and Charities.

Improvement plans are being developed and key areas of focus include:

Adult asthma

Interstitial lung disease

Primary care and diagnostics

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Oxygen therapy

Bronchiectasis

Sleep Apnoea

Non-Invasive Ventilation

My Department will be responsible for developing the care pathways developed by these groups into commissioning intentions for funding in the future, whilst also implementing system changes that can be achieved without additional investment.