asked the Minister for Health whether his attention has been drawn to the statements made by Professor W.J.E. Jessop on 11th March last with regard to the high incidence of severe congenital deformities of the nervous system in babies born in Dublin; if he will give statistics of the incidence of such deformities in Dublin and in the country as a whole over the past ten years, together with comparable statistics for Northern Ireland, Britain, and other Western European countries; and what progress is being made in research into the causes and possible methods of prevention of such deformities.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Congenital Deformities in Babies.
4.
I have seen a report of the statement referred to. Statistics relating to the incidence of congential abnormalities of the nervous system are not available in respect of Ireland and, so far as I am aware, are not available in published form in respect of the other countries mentioned. I can only conclude that such information as was the basis of the statement of Professor Jessop in relation to this condition in babies born in Dublin is information which is becoming available in the course of the survey on the incidence of congenital malformations in infants born in Dublin, which with the aid of a grant which I have authorised from the Hospitals Trust Fund, is being conducted by the Medical Research Council. This grant was authorised in October, 1960; the investigation is still proceeding.
I hope that this survey will result in indentification of the factors that interfere with normal intra-uterine development, and will therefore point the way to the remedial or preventive measures which can be taken.