Vol. 550 No. 1
107 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to criticism by the director of the National Cancer Registry that Ireland falls behind other countries when it comes to the linking of databases and that there are over-restrictive laws regarding the access to census data. [7346/02]
I am aware of concerns expressed by the director of the National Cancer Registry in relation to information requirements. The national health strategy provides for the establishment of an independent health information and quality authority to lead the development of health information. While the health information and quality authority will exercise a pivotal role in relation to a number of key information functions, it is recognised that other information functions, such as accessing data, also need to be addressed to complement the work of agencies such as the National Cancer Registry. The soon to be published national health information strategy will provide the context for future development in this regard.
