Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our panellists. The opening remarks from Dr. Foley-Nolan in the context of other looming events were well made and taken. To follow Deputy Kelleher's remarks, this is an holistic response and we cannot seek to place the burden of responsibility on the school environment. There should be a very clear and definite parental responsibility, as these are the people most critically involved in determining a child's diet. There has been a significant change in lifestyles in recent years but there is a need to continue to emphasise the important legacy that parents give to children in terms of general health and well-being. This does not just concern academic achievement or other interests that seem to have taken a much greater importance than well-being, which is the critical factor.

It is important to acknowledge that significant voluntary work is done by sporting organisations around the country, and as a parent, I acknowledge what I see in my own community from a variety of sporting organisations. They are providing an opportunity that most certainly was not there in my time and for decades after my involvement in sport. Wonderful work is done, which should be acknowledged, and the issue should be a balance of all the elements.

I pay tribute to the initiatives taken by safefood, particularly the Stop the Spread initiative, which merits recognition this morning. I know it is not directly a part of our engagement at this meeting but I am concerned that this campaign, for some time, has been in hiatus or parked because of the intervention of the corresponding Minister in the Department responsible for health north of the Border. Some 12 months a review was sought of safefood's role in the issue of nutrition and related matters, including childhood obesity. Will the witnesses share the current position and has the review got under way? Given that the Stop the Spread initiative was significant and award winning in terms of marketing impact, is it expected that the project will be completed and that safefood can continue as one of the six cross-Border implementation bodies to continue with its broad remit, as it had up to the end of 2011 at least?