Noel Dempsey
Question:74 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for Health the number of cystic fibrosis patients in the State; and the number by health board area. [10634/97]
Written Answers. - Cystic Fibrosis.
Noel Dempsey
Question:75 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for Health the monitoring procedures, if any, which he intends to put in place to gauge an increase or decrease over time in the numbers of people affected by cystic fibrosis in the State. [10635/97]
Noel Dempsey
Question:76 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for Health the number of families with multiple cases of cystic fibrosis in the State. [10636/97]
Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 74, 75 and 76 together.
The information in the format requested by the Deputy is not readily available to my Department.However, the Cystic Fibrosis Association estimates there are approximately 830 people in Ireland with cystic fibrosis. Neither my Department nor the Cystic Fibrosis Association have information on the number of families with multiple cases of cystic fibrosis. However, it is an inherited disorder which has a one in four chance of manifesting itself in a child both of whose parents carry the gene.
The report of the Review Group on Health and Personal Social Services for People with Physical and Sensory Disabilities, Towards an Independent Future, recommended the establishment of a database on the health service needs of people with physical and sensory disabilities to provide a firm basis for planning services. This would include the needs of people with cystic fibrosis. The review group recommended that a database development committee be established to prepare detailed proposals for the development of the database. It is my intention to establish this committee later in the year when the first report from a pilot physical and sensory disability database currently being initiated in three health boards is available.