David Norris (Independent)

I join in that welcome. Ms O'Meara is a distinguished former colleague and has represented the Irish Cancer Society. I express my admiration for the work done by this organisation. I also welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Áine Brady, and I seek the permission of the House to share time with Senator Rónán Mullen.

This is a serious situation and the facts are stark. This year, some 30,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer. This may be partly due to better diagnostic techniques but by 2020, it is estimated some 43,000 will be diagnosed, a very large number of people. We are all aware of this because we all know friends and close acquaintances who have been affected. In political life we have been shocked and saddened by the onset of cancer in Deputy Brian Lenihan and we all wish him well and a complete recovery from this very difficult form of cancer. It is something that affects everyone in society and it is very widespread.

Previously in the House, we have dealt with the tobacco industry, its dishonesty and the way it lobbied over smuggling, whereas we know perfectly well and, I am glad to say, we have put on the record of the House that the major tobacco companies have all been implicated and convicted of smuggling in the United States.

I will concentrate on lung cancer and sunbeds. More people die from lung cancer in Ireland than breast, prostate and colon cancer combined, a very shocking statistic. There is also a cultural shift. Men used to be more significantly affected but now women are catching up and the gap in closing. We must treat this as a human problem generally speaking. I am not terribly in favour of dividing and prioritising on the basis of gender, particularly with regard to screening. I welcome the roll-out of the breast screening programme. I am also glad that men's cancer, especially prostate cancer, is now being taken seriously, along with colorectal cancer which affects both men and women.

One difficulty is that we have a very bad record in terms of the treatment of cancer in this country. We are one of the worst in Europe in terms of lung cancer. Perhaps this is because it is not caught in time. Given this worrying figure, we must re-prioritise things so that the Government assists in rapid access to diagnostic sources, clinics and treatment, especially for lung cancer.

I refer to the Quitline, a matter that has been mentioned by other Members. There is a very clear payback for investing in Quitline. Our neighbouring country, the United Kingdom, almost doubled its spending on quit line services and there was a very significant drop, from 27% to 24% in the rate of smoking. It may only be a change of 3% but it represents a very significant effect in terms of the numbers. At the same time, our investment dropped and our rate of smoking went up from 27% to 29%, which indicates we must invest heavily in this area. In 2004, the quit lines received almost 20,000 calls. In 2009, this had dropped to 5,750 calls, a massive drop resulting from a lack of investment. We know the quit line works and we should continue the service.

On this lovely sunny day on which we may be seeing the beginning of spring at last, I wish to be positive. There were three lovely, wonderful and beautiful young women on television one day recently, all of whom had cancer and one of whom had cancer three times. They were happy, positive, able to recover and living, which is marvellous. We should destroy the terror, mystique and horror of cancer and we can do so in positive ways. The Irish Cancer Society has done so and has shown the economic impact of giving up smoking which, in these difficult economic times, is a significant indicator.

I used to be put off somewhat by the view that if one stopped smoking it would be ten years before one's lungs recovered, if ever. In fact, after 20 minutes one's blood pressure and pulse return to normal, which is instant; after 24 hours the risk of heart attack begins to fall; after 48 hours the sense of taste and smell greatly improve; after 72 hours breathing becomes easier and energy levels increase; and after one year the risk of heart disease and lung cancer begin to fall significantly.

However, we must do more. We deal with legislation in these Houses and we passed the Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Act in 2009, which introduced the enabling legislation for pictorial warnings. We know these measures work. I remember a not so gory advertisement that asked if one would like to kiss an ashtray. While I would not, I probably have done so in my time. Pictorial warnings register with one in that they are unpleasant and communicate in an anti-social way. However, we do not have a timeline for the implementation of the enabling legislation. Will the Minister of State indicate whether the Government is serious about having a guideline on this?

Sunbeds are not just used by women. I do not believe women are any more vain than men. I used to be in a gym for many years and there was no control over the sunbeds. There was no malicious intent on the part of the staff but they did not really know what they were offering, which is worrying. Some of these machines emit levels of ultraviolet radiation and other forms of radiation that are otherwise only deemed acceptable in medical treatment. The people who offer sunbed services are not qualified and have no idea about the levels of radiation being emitted. This is partly, but not entirely, responsible for the significant rise in malignant melanoma, skin cancer. There were 660 new cases of malignant melanoma in 2007 and this number will increase. There was a 75% increase in the risk of cutaneous melanoma when people began tanning regularly in sunbeds before the age of 30 years.

I ask that this matter be prioritised. I have asked about the pictorial advertisements and investment in the health side. My third question also relates to prioritisation. Are we to prioritise the legislation? Although the Bill is being drafted, a process which is taking a hell of a long time, it is disappointing that we are told it will not be ready before mid 2011. This is not good enough because we know the position. The information to which I refer is generally known throughout the Houses and must be known in the Department of Health and Children. While I recognise there is pressure on all Departments, I ask for specific information on the three aforementioned areas. It is a matter of prioritisation and we know taking action will do good.

The image of the Quitline service came into mind particularly because I was listening to the very good broadcast in the lead-up to Daffodil Day. I remember taking part in several events that were great fun. There were photographs of beautiful young women and beautiful young me in the middle sporting daffodils. The point being made is that there is not enough advertising. People will use the Quitline service but it needs to be advertised. People do not know the number, which is 1850 201 203. We need to invest in this service.