asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many deaths have occurred within the Essex County area and in Basildon district on figures available in each of the five past years to women arising from cancer of the breast.
Available information is as follows:
| DEATHS FROM CANCER OF THE BREAST OF WOMEN RESIDENT IN | ||
| Essex Administrative County | Basildon Urban District | |
| 1969 | 243 | 21 |
| 1970 | 231 | 24 |
| 1971 | 270 | 24 |
| 1972 | 275 | 27 |
| 1973 | 284 | 24 |
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what facilities are available in Essex within the National Health Service for the detection of breast cancer in women;(2) what is the average waiting list of women for screening for the detection of cancer of the breast in Essex to the most recent convenient date;(3) how many women have been screened for the detection of cancer of the breast within the National Health Service in Essex and Basildon District Council in each of the past 10 years.
The Essex Area Health Authority provides general diagnostic facilities for breast cancer through hospital out-patient clinics.I regret that the information on waiting lists and the numbers of women screened is not available.As I said in my reply to my hon. Friends the Members for Bury and Radcliffe (Mr. White), Liverpool, Scotland Exchange (Mr. Parry) and Ormskirk (Mr. Kilroy-Silk) on 28th April—[Vol. 891, c.
9–12.]—I have considered the general question of future action on breast cancer screening following receipt of the Report of a Joint Working Group, a copy of which is in the Library.