Edward Nealon
Question:46 Mr. Nealon asked the Minister for Health if he will give details of the funding, if any, which he is making available, directly or through the health boards, towards the work of the Irish Sudden Infant Death Association.
Written Answers. - Irish Sudden Infant Death Association.
Tomás MacGiolla
Question:75 Tomás Mac Giolla asked the Minister for Health the assistance, if any, which is available for parents of victims of cot deaths; if he intends to give financial support to the Sudden Infant Death Association either directly or through the regional health boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Brendan Howlin
Question:78 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Health if he will give details of the funding which his Department has given to the Irish Sudden Infant Death Association in 1992; if he considers this to be an adequate level of funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Bernard Allen
Question:130 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the financial help, if any, he proposes to give to the Irish Sudden Infant Death Association so that they can develop their services in this country.
Roger T. Garland
Question:131 Mr. Garland asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the work being carried out by the Irish Sudden Infant Death Association; and whether he will be financially supporting the association in the forthcoming years.
Eamon Gilmore
Question:132 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Health if he has received a request for funding from the Irish Sudden Infant Death Association; the consideration, if any, he has given to this request; and the amount of funding he intends to provide to this organisation.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 46, 75, 78, 130, 131 and 132 together.
The Irish Sudden Infant Death Association (ISIDA) is funded by subvention from individual health boards based on activity in their local area.
In addition to this the Department directly funds the association in relation to those activities which are regarded as of national significance which included the establishment of a National Sudden Infants Death Register. Commitment was given to fund the Register over a three year period using National Lottery Funds as follows:
|
Year 1 |
£24,500* |
|
Year 2 |
£23,000 |
|
Year 3 |
£23,000 |
* Already paid.
The purpose of the register is (a) to review all deaths up to two years of age to make an assignment of the case of death and (b) to collect detailed additional data relating to each case of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. International research is ongoing into the causes of sudden infant deaths and my Department is keeping this research under review.
In relation to the health boards I have been advised that over the past three years the following sums of money have been paid.
|
Health Board |
Year |
Amount |
|
£ |
||
|
Eastern |
1992 |
1,000 |
|
1991 |
1,000 |
|
|
1990 |
1,000 |
|
|
Mid Western |
1992 |
500 |
|
1991 |
500 |
|
|
1990 |
500 |
|
|
Western |
1992 |
Nil |
|
1991 |
750 |
|
|
1990 |
750 |
|
|
North Western |
1992 |
No application received to date |
|
1991 |
800 |
|
|
1990 |
800 |
An application for funding is at present under consideration by the Midland Health Board. The North Eastern South Eastern and Southern Health Boards confirm that they have not made any funding available to the Association over the past three years.
In addition a leaflet and poster were prepared by the Health Promotion Unit of my Department in conjunction with the ISIDA at a cost of over £9,000. These documents are now in circulation and recommend the following guidelines which may help parents and those caring for babies to reduce the risk of sudden infant deaths:
—a baby should be placed on his or her back or side to sleep
—babies should not be allowed to become too warm
—expectant mothers should not smoke or allow anyone to smoke near the baby during the first year of life
—if at all possible mothers should breastfeed babies for the first few weeks, not because this in itself reduces the risk of cot death, but because it may reduce the risk of infection.