100 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the recent report, Inequalities in Health in Ireland - the Hard Facts, published by the Department of Community Health and General Practice at TCD which found that unskilled male workers are twice as likely to die prematurely than those working higher professional areas; the steps he will take to address the inequalities in health identified in the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25595/01]

I am aware that the report, Inequalities in Health – the Hard Facts, found that in 1996 unskilled manual men were twice as likely to die prematurely between the ages of 15 and 64 as men who are higher professionals. A number of reports, including the 1999 report of the chief medical officer, have drawn attention to the links between lower socio-economic position and poor health status.

This problem must be addressed on a number of fronts – providing equitable access to health services, including to health education and health promotion, and ensuring that policies outside the health sector take impact on health into account. Many of the factors which lead to the gap in health status lie outside the remit of the health sector. For example, the report to which the Deputy refers found that men in the unskilled manual groups were eight times more likely to die from an accidental cause than men in the highest professional group. Reducing deaths from accidents requires a multi-sectoral approach.