Vol. 558 No. 1
368 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the inquiries his Department has made concerning the health problems facing persons (details supplied) and their farm animals following on from the meeting the persons had with him and his Department in 2001; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23648/02]
At a meeting in November 2001, an undertaking was given to the family concerned, who live in the Askeaton area, to have an independent examination of cancer data relating to the locality.
At my Department's request, the National Cancer Registry carried out an examination of such data covering the period 1994-1999. This examination was recently completed and presented to the board of the Mid-Western Health Board. It indicates that cancer rates in the Mid-Western Health Board area from 1994-1999 were lower than the national average and that cancer rates in the Askeaton study areas 1 and 2 from 1994-1999 were lower than the Mid-Western Health Board average and conformed to national and regional patterns by cause.
The data as examined by the National Cancer Registry do not support a hypothesis that the incidence of cancer in the Askeaton region is higher than would be expected based on either Mid-Western Health Board or national cancer incidence rates.
