Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I thank him for his observations I am glad he has agreed to get his officials to look at the recommendations made in the Seanad Public Consultation Committee report, which focuses on how lifestyle changes can prevent approximately one third of all cancers. As Members have said, the committee was established by the 24th Seanad at the suggestion of the Independent Members who were nominated by the Taoiseach. The committee has published a number of excellent reports, some of which have already been acted on by the Government. Action is certainly needed in other cases.

This is a short report, as Senator O'Keeffe mentioned. It recommends that certain actions be taken. We believe the recommendations in the report should be acted on and we hope they will be. I always listen to what Senator Crown has to say about health matters, particularly with regard to cancer. The Protection of Children’s Health from Tobacco Smoke Bill 2012, which he introduced along with Senator Daly, has been the subject of a long delay. I understand the Department contacted the Senators not long ago to ask them for final comments on the Bill that the Government intends to introduce. I hope the legislation in question will be brought before the Seanad, given that the idea was initiated by Members of this House.

I do not mean to be facetious when I say I am glad the reform proposals for the other House that have been announced, and which were mentioned by Senator MacSharry, provide for a system that will mirror this House's public consultation system, which allows us to study and advise on public policy matters. That is to be welcomed. The report before the House was compiled following some extremely informative and deliberate sessions in this House. As Senator O'Keeffe said, the committee engaged with people who work at the coalface. It was harrowing to listen to some of the statistics regarding various cancers and the effect they have on people. We all learned a great deal from these extremely informative sessions. I join other Senators in thanking all of the individuals and organisations that made an excellent input into this report.

Cancer is a disease that affects almost every family in the country in one way or another. The Seanad Public Consultation Committee strongly felt that it was worthwhile to identify simple everyday actions that individuals could take to prevent the onset of cancer. Smoking, obesity and alcohol consumption have been revealed as the three key areas in which lifestyle changes can prevent the incidence of cancer. The committee believes the Government must take a lead in highlighting the research revealed in this report and in driving change through appropriate policy-making and legislation. For example, some 85% of all cases of lung cancer in the Irish population relate to tobacco. The Seanad Public Consultation Committee report recommends the banning of cigarette vending machines and the introduction of a ban on smoking on all educational campuses. We believe such measures would go some way towards preventing the onset of lung disease because they would stop people from starting to smoke at an early age.

The child obesity figures were also telling. There are over 30,000 obese children in Ireland, which is a staggering figure. I was shocked to learn that the number of obese children is increasing by an average of 10,000 per annum and that the cost to the State of dealing with people with health complications arising from the obesity epidemic is over €4 billion. Those figures certainly put this problem into perspective. Immediate action needs to be taken to educate children and their parents on the importance of nutrition and physical activities. A focus on self-esteem is also required.

The alcohol problem that exists in Ireland is a regular issue of concern in this House. We have discussed it with the Minister of State previously. One of the most startling facts to be revealed through the public consultation process was that drinking between three and six standard drinks each day significantly increases the risk of cancer of the breast, liver, mouth, throat, oesophagus and bowel. We might have thought there was a link between alcohol consumption and liver, mouth and throat cancer, but we were shocked to learn that the other cancers might be linked to the over-use of alcohol.

There is an opportunity now for the Government to increase awareness of the link between alcohol and these awful illnesses, via the regulation of alcohol marketing and the introduction of alcohol labelling legislation, which would require products containing alcohol to include warnings about cancer. I would also welcome any other appropriate measures from the Department of Health, the HSE and other publicly-funded organisations, such as the publication of leaflets by the HSE, television or radio campaigns or an Internet campaign which would outline simple lifestyle changes such as those advocated in this public consultation report. These would help our people become aware of the necessary changes that can be made to prevent cancer.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House and hope we see action on this report and on legislation like that put forward by Senator Crown. I hope too that we have a speedy introduction of the legislation necessary to combat this dreadful disease.