Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 243: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if research has been undertaken by her Department or the Health Service Executive regarding the most commonly occurring forms of cancer recorded in each of the past ten years to date; the trends that have emerged in particular areas or regions; the degree to which a particular causes or causes have been identified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46031/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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The Deputy may be referring to An Atlas of Cancer in Ireland 1994 to 2003 which was published last week by the National Cancer Registry of Ireland. The Report can be found on the Registry's website www.ncri.ie. It provides detailed geographical information on the distribution of all the common cancers in Ireland. It also examines the role of a range of risk factors, including smoking, diet, poverty and environment, in determining the geographical variations found.

For most cancers, the Report found that there is significant geographical variation in risk based on residence and that the variations are, in the main, different for different cancers. Most cancers showed a relationship (either positive or negative) to area deprivation scores. More densely populated areas consistently had a higher risk of cancer than those that were sparsely populated. The risk of almost all cancers analysed was higher in areas with the highest proportion of elderly people living on their own. The report concludes that, by reducing exposure to risk factors such as tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, obesity, diet and sexual behaviour, cancer incidence in Ireland and the disparities described in this report could be greatly reduced.

The Registry was set up in 1991 by statute and is wholly funded by the Department of Health and Children. The overall direction of the Registry is the responsibility of the National Cancer Registry Board. The Registry has been collecting comprehensive cancer information for the whole population of the Republic of Ireland since 1994. The information it collects is used in research into the causes of cancer, in education and information programmes, and in the planning of a national cancer strategy to deliver the best cancer care to the whole population.