Written Answers. - Cancer Research Funding.
Ivor Callely
Question:
155
Mr. Callely
asked the
Minister for Health
if she will outline (a) the funding which has been made available to cancer research in (1) 1980, (2) 1985 and (3) 1990; and (b) the funds which will be made available in 1992 in order that new and improved understanding of cancer may help reduce the burden of the disease on our community; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the following table:
Grants for Cancer Research
|
1980
|
£31,000
|
|
1985
|
£106,000
|
|
1990
|
£122,200
|
|
1991
|
£282,693
|
|
1992
|
Not yet finalised (see below).
|
The former Medical Research Council, a statutory body under the responsibility of the Minister for Health, made the 1980 and 1985 grants above towards various cancer research programmes in hospitals.
In 1990 the Council's successor, the Health Research Board, made grants for similar purposes. In addition, the EC Europe Against Cancer Programme, which has as its aim the reduction of cancer deaths in Europe by 15 per cent between 1986 and 2000, made a grant of 90,000 ECUs (approximately IR£70,200) to screening for breast cancer research.
The Mater project received a further 90,000 ECUs in 1991 and also received an allocation of £65,000 from lottery funds. In addition, the Europe Against Cancer Programme allocated 40,000 ECUs (approximately IR£31,200) in 1991 to a research-based cervical screening programme in UCD, and a further 40,000 ECUs to a study of food and nutrient intake in the EC organised by Nutriscan Ltd. The Health Research Board's grants for cancer research in 1991 amounted to £85,000. The Health Research Board's allocation of funding to the various categories of research for 1992 has not as yet been finalised. However, the board will be providing £143,000 for a new research unit on the molecular biology of leukaemia/aplastic anaemia.
The Irish Cancer Society will be contributing a further £30,000 to the unit, bringing their total funding to £173,000.
My Department's health promotion unit have included in their draft programme for 1992 a health promotion intervention in the workplace which will focus substantially on cancer prevention. The initial phase of this will involve baseline research in workplace settings. It is expected that the project will receive financial support under the Europe Against Cancer Programme.
