Vol. 430 No. 2
253 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the level of concern in the Kerry area in relation to AIDS; whether any research has been done as to the attendant risk in County Kerry as it is a premier tourist location and attracts more than one million visitors; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
There is no indication from the current HIV surveillance programme of a particular problem in County Kerry and my Department is not aware of any increased risk of infection in Co. Kerry because of its status as a major tourist location.
My Department is in the process of extending the HIV surveillance programme to give a better geographical picture of the prevalence of the infection.
The introduction of the Health (Family Planning) (Amendment) Act, 1992 allowing for the greater availability of condoms, will help in combating the spread of the disease. I also intended to introduce legislation during this month to allow for the dispensing of condoms via vending machines,.
