Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 21 October 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement

Engagement with Core Working Group for the All-Island Cancer Research Institute

Photo of Peadar TóibínPeadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

I greatly appreciate it. As I said, I am due to speak next in the Chamber on those statements so I might not be here for the responses, but I will I will listen back later to the recording of the meeting.

This topic is an important one for me for two reasons. First, I have had cancer in the past couple of years and, second, North-South development is a key part of Aontú's political project. Sometimes statistics are gathered on a North-South basis. It is very hard to understand exactly what the situation is when there is partition in statistics. Are cancer statistics now gathered on an all-island basis? In the duration of this particular presentation by the witnesses, nine people have been diagnosed with cancer, which shows how shockingly prevalent it is and how many families are hit by it. While not wishing to introduce a negative into what has been a positive presentation, are there limits to what can be done? Is the working group limited by law regarding what it can do? Are there funding constraints that we can be involved in trying to fix? How much funding does the group get? Is it facing any other resistance in this regard? How do we move from all-Ireland research with regard to cancer to the delivery of treatment on an all-Ireland basis in respect of which we are planning together, funding together and delivering services together to make sure we have more effective services for people?

The next issue might be slightly outside of the witnesses' bailiwick. Last year's report from the National Cancer Registry shows that Ireland's survival rate for, say, breast cancer is 82%. That is quite poor by European standards. For example, in Sweden a woman is 7% more likely to survive for five years or more than if she was diagnosed in Ireland. In Britain, a woman is 5% more likely to survive for five years or more. It is not just about geography; there can be a 12% differential depending on whether a woman is diagnosed or treated in a public hospital or a private hospital. As I said, that may not specifically be the witnesses' area of expertise, but I would greatly appreciate it if they could address the issue.

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