Vol. 500 No. 1
222 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount of funding allocated by his Department into cancer research or a preventative information launch in each of the past five years; and the plans, if any, he has to increase this amount. [3549/99]
The national cancer strategy identifies research into cancer as one of the key areas for investment in order to combat this disease. Under the terms of the action plan for the implementation of the national cancer strategy, total funding of £320,000 has been granted in respect of the four years 1997-2000, inclusive, to the Health Research Board for cancer research. When deciding on the projects to fund, the national cancer strategy indicated that the emphasis should be on infrastructural co-ordination and that projects to be funded would be multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary in nature. These criteria are applied when the Health Research Board awards the grants. In addition to the funding allocated under the national cancer strategy, the Health Research Board has provided funding for cancer research in recent years as follows: 1995, £200,550; 1996, £316,641; 1997, £272,376; 1998, £336,053. Total funding in respect of cancer research between 1995 and 1998, therefore, totals £1,286,620. The allocations for 1999 have yet to be made.
The health promotion unit of my Department works closely with a wide variety of statutory and voluntary groups to ensure that people have the information and the support to make healthy lifestyle choices.
The unit supports an extensive range of initiatives, a number of which have an impact on the levels of knowledge and awareness of the risk factors associated with many cancers. These include national mass media campaigns on anti-smoking, alcohol awareness and healthy eating. The average spend on the anti-smoking and healthy eating campaigns since 1995 has been approximately £500,000 per annum. In addition, the unit spent in excess of £150, 000 on an alcohol awareness campaign last year. The unit has also provided funding of approximately £200,000 each year to the Irish Cancer Society in support of cancer prevention initiatives, including the yearly Europe Against Cancer campaign.
The health promotion unit is also involved in the ongoing development of school based anti-smoking initiatives with the Irish Cancer Society and the Health Promoting Schools Network. The health promotion unit also continues to produce information materials relating to cancer, the cost of which was approximately £160,000 in the period 1995 to 1998. I wish to assure the Deputy of my continued commitment to the further implementation of the national cancer strategy and measures aimed at reducing the incidence of this disease.
