Lung cancer registration rates have fallen in Powys over the last decade

Earlier this month Powys councillor John Thompson called for a Welsh assembly inquiry into cancer levels in the county, claiming that up to one in three people there were dying from the disease.

But Powys Public Health Director Dr Paul Walker says this was not true.

Dr Walker says the cancer rate in the county is below the average for Wales and has in fact remained stable since 1990.

As far as we are concerned there is no cancer problem in Powys Dr Paul Walker

Councillor Thompson, who represents Llanyre, near Llandrindod Wells, said his constituents were worried about the increasing numbers suffering from cancer in the area.

"It will be no use looking back in 20 years and saying there should have been an investigation," he said.

"My personal observation is that one in three people are dying of cancer in this area which is replicated in other areas of Powys.

"This is a widespread problem and I want to see an investigation carried out by the Welsh assembly."

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But Dr Walker said there was no evidence to support Cllr Thompson's claims.

"The figures for deaths from cancer in Powys is significantly lower than the rest of Wales," he said.

"As far as we are concerned there is no cancer problem in Powys and the county seems to be doing better than Wales as a whole."

The annual registration of cancers in Powys has risen slightly from 608 in 1992 to 693 in 2001, he said.

But lung cancer registrations has fallen from 77 in 1992 to 69 in 2001.

"Although the number of registrations has gone up slightly in the last 10 years this could be accounted by a better system of registration being put in place," said Dr Walker.