Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to thank all the medical staff who go to work and do their very best. We have had hearings with groups such as Happy New Ear with regard to bilateral cochlear implants and with Dr. Jim Egan on organ donation and transplantation in which they made pleas for money. People listen to what is said at committee meetings and are delighted. Both organisations contacted me over the Christmas holidays to say thank you.

I am disappointed about BreastCheck but Mr. O'Brien stated that it would be a priority for next year. For the 140,000 women who use the service every year, we would like to see it extended to the age of 65 from 69. I would like this to be a definite priority.

We had numerous hearings on palliative care before Christmas. Last year the budget was €72 million, but €1.3 billion is spent in an unplanned way on end-of-life care. Does the Minister have plans to co-ordinate this so the money is well spent?

We have a major budget for obesity, but Dr. Sinead Murphy from Temple Street hospital came before the committee and told us there is no specific budget within this for childhood obesity. I will reference something which everybody here might examine after the meeting. An app is available through iTunes whereby nine year old girls can be helped by other children to go on a diet to make their bodies look better. We must take this seriously. If this is what is happening in social media it is unfair to children. There is a massive budget for obesity and I ask the Minister to take some of it and target it specifically at childhood obesity. Whatever courses work should be rolled out.