asked the Minister for Health the number of condoms imported in 1987.
Written Answers. - Condom Imports.
196.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 196 together.
Licences granted during the calendar year 1987 would permit the importation of up to 53,503,264 condoms. However, this does not mean that this quantity was actually imported in 1987. During the period of validity of a licence, the licence holder may in fact import far fewer contraceptives than the maximum authorised under the terms of the licence. Moreover, as an import licence is issued to cover any period of 12 months, most of the licences issued during 1987 would not yet have expired.
I regret that it is not yet possible to give a final figure for sexually transmissible diseases for 1987 as not all community care areas have submitted their returns to my Department. I will forward the final figures to the Deputy setting out the incidence of particular types of diseases, as soon as they have been submitted to my Department.
It is not possible to say if the incidence of sexually transmissible diseases has increased or decreased with the greater availability of condoms. It is accepted internationally that sexually transmissible diseases are often under-reported and it is therefore not possible to determine the degree to which specific factors influence the actual incidence of these diseases. As regards the reporting of these diseases, the fee for reporting was increased in 1981 when the number of cases reported was 2,474. In 1982, the number of cases reported increased to 2,523 and the increased fee, for instance, may have been a factor which influenced the increase in the number of cases reported in 1982.