Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 15 Oct 1996

Vol. 470 No. 1

Written Answers. - Breast Cancer.

Cecilia Keaveney

Ceist:

151 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the steps, if any, which are being taken by his Department to highlight and deal with the subject of breast cancer in view of the fact that this is the Breast Cancer Awareness Month and groups in Northern Ireland are highlighting the fact that 300 women die of the disease each year. [18281/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): Breast cancer is responsible for about 650 deaths of women in Ireland every year and the incidence of breast cancer in Irish women is among the highest in Europe. For these reasons I am anxious that a national breast screening programme commences as soon as possible. A national breast screening programme is one of a series of initiatives in a national cancer strategy which has been circulated to other Government Departments for their comments. When I have taken cognisance of these comments I intend to bring the national cancer strategy to Government in the very near future.

The first phase of the national breast screening programme will commence in the Eastern, North-Eastern and Midland Health Boards. A major factor affecting the success of a screening programme is the establishment of a population register, as 75 per cent of the target population must participate in the screening programme if the programme is to significantly reduce mortality. However, there are difficulties under current data protection legislation in obtaining names and addresses from existing data sources — for example, the VHI, social welfare and GMS — of women who should be offered screening. I am currently having the legal problems involved here examined with a view to resolving these difficulties.

To coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month the Irish Cancer Society has arranged, in association with the Eastern Health Board, the staging of a play on breast cancer in a number of venues in the health board area. The play aims to increase the public's knowledge and understanding of the importance of early detection of breast cancer and the role of self-examination and breast cancer screening. Admission is free and the organisers encourage men and women to come along. The performance is followed by a workshop session where a breast cancer nurse and a cancer specialist answer any queries which are raised.

My Department will continue to have cancer and especially breast cancer as a priority for action in the months ahead and I look forward to the commencement of the national breast screening programme as soon as possible.

Cecilia Keaveney

Ceist:

152 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the incidences of death through breast cancer on a county basis for each of the years from 1990 to 1996. [18282/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): The number of deaths from breast cancer by county for the years 1990 to 1995 is set out in the following table. During the first three months of 1996 a total of 158 deaths from breast cancer were registered.

Deaths from Breast Cancer by County, 1990 to 1995

County	1990	1991	1992	1993*	1994*	1995*
Carlow	9	8	7	9	10	12
Cavan	5	7	6	7	5	8
Clare	11	16	11	13	18	8
Cork	74	83	80	80	70	94
Donegal	27	33	15	13	19	16
Dublin	192	199	207	196	201	190
Galway	30	26	31	31	27	28
Kerry	23	27	22	23	27	28
Kildare	11	18	28	19	23	12
Kilkenny	10	12	8	18	18	6
Laois	6	4	8	8	9	6
Leitrim	3	7	7	7	6	7
Limerick	27	38	19	22	26	29
Longford	6	5	5	6	2	11
Louth	21	17	14	17	21	21
Mayo	22	18	26	27	27	27
Meath	15	22	18	20	16	22
Monaghan	9	7	8	9	11	5
Offaly	9	10	11	12	14	8
Roscommon	7	14	11	11	7	6
Sligo	10	14	13	8	14	14
Tipperary	15	19	30	22	21	26
Waterford	16	13	24	16	18	15
Westmeath	9	8	10	10	13	20
Wexford	18	18	18	19	19	14
Wicklow	18	12	21	16	19	16
Total	603	655	658	649	661	649

*Provisional figures based on year of registration.