John Crown (Independent)

Some rather disturbing figures were presented over the weekend which showed that in terms of international survival rates for cancer in the OECD - the group of economically developed nations - this country is faring badly and is anchored close to the bottom of the list. It is at the bottom of the list for some types of cancer. It is being suggested that this may be due to a relatively slow penetration of the practice of screening healthy people for cancer in the Irish population. That may well have something to do with it. People should be aware that the most intensely screened country in the world is the United Kingdom and it was just above us in the low pecking order. Of the large countries with developed medical systems, the British traditionally have the poorest cancer survivals.

We have heard much about the improvements in cancer survival, which have undoubtedly occurred in the past ten to 15 years, but they have improved everywhere. We have not come up the pecking order compared to where we were, or if we have it is only to a minimal extent. I would like the Leader to ask the Minister for Health to clarify the current and future policy with respect to the one area of cancer care where we had a relatively progressive regimen in this country, namely, access to cancer drugs. Historically, this country has had rather good access to drugs. The access was limited by the desperate shortage of specialists to give the drugs, but in terms of the policy for prescribing them, we had a much more liberal regime than in the UK, which I would describe as barbaric. The entity in the UK which rations cancer drugs is a group with the rather Orwellian sounding name, NICE, the National Institute of Clinical Excellence. I once said that when the history of the war on cancer is written NICE would be considered war criminals. I fear that the same philosophy of rather brainless rationing of cancer drugs without thinking through some of the subtleties of the economics involved is starting to creep into this country. It is with respect to this that I would ask the Leader to clarify with the Minister whether there is a change brewing in respect of access to cancer drugs. I have heard that a list of ten cancer drugs has been provided by the National Cancer Control Programme, NCCP, to oncology pharmacies and that under new rules those drugs will only be approved for individual patients by the NCCP. I see this as the first step towards the institution of a similar rationing organisation here.

Will the Leader ask the Minister to give us a categorical guarantee that there will be no rationing of cancer drugs as long as one cent is spent by the Health Service Executive, the Department of Health and the National Cancer Control Programme on public relations contracts and press secretaries? In my scale of priorities when such staff are all fired and all of those contracts are cancelled and if we are down past the fat into the bone and muscle of the cancer treatment services then we can negotiate about cutting access to cancer drugs.

As the Government is planning the final stages of the budget I again ask it, through the Leader, to consider something which was suggested by me in this House on several occasions, which I believe would save a great deal of money for the health service - my colleague, Senator White, feels strongly about it as well - namely, to end the practice of mandatory retirement, taking people who wish to work, to contribute and pay tax and forcing them to become dependent on the State.

Is there any way the Leader could ask the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform whether they would consider amending pension law for Oireachtas Members so that nobody can claim an Oireachtas pension until he or she has either reached the age of 65 or unless he or she has had-----