Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 815: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of incidents of MRSA reported to date; the hospital or areas in respect of which the greater number of cases have been reported; the action taken to combat the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30026/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 816: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of reported incidents of tuberculosis in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30027/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) monitors rates of TB in Ireland on an on-going basis and identifies any increases in rates or clusters of the disease. According to data provided by the HPSC TB notifications in Ireland between 2001 and 2005 were as shown in the following table.

In 2003, 407 cases of TB were notified to HPSC giving a national crude incidence rate of 10.4/100,000 population. This is very similar to the rate notified in 2002 and 2001. However, it remains lower than the crude incidence rates reported between 1991 and 1999, which ranged from 11.5/100,000 to 18.5/100,000. The overall notification rate for countries of the EU and Western Europe in 2003 was 13.6/100,000, for countries which reported to EuroTB. The highest rate reported was in the Baltic States (47.0-82.0/100,000).