Vol. 481 No. 4
137 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health and Children the events which took place to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness Week; the follow-up plans, if any, there are to develop such events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16225/97]
I am assuming that the Deputy is referring to the recent Europe Against Cancer Week, which I launched on 3 October. This is a Europe wide annual event and each year a different focus is taken from the European Code Against Cancer. The aim of the 1997 campaign was to create a public awareness of breast and cervical cancers and to encourage women to talk about these specific cancers. The activities for the week were co-ordinated centrally by the European Commission and in Ireland represented a joint initiative by the Irish Cancer Society and the Health Promotion Unit of my Department in association with the health boards, the National Women's Council and the Irish Countrywomen's Association.
The key practical elements of the week included the national launch on 3 October encompassing media publicity at national and local level. Public information materials were distributed by the Irish Countrywomen's Association, the National Women's Council, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the health boards. Public meetings, seminars and workshops were and continue to be organised by the various health boards in conjunction with the Irish Cancer Society. Conferences and seminars for health care professionals and the public will run from 29 September to 9 November 1997. A freephone helpline at the Irish Cancer Society was also made available.
