Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry for being late, Chairman, but I heard some of the presentations in the office upstairs. I thank the Department of Social Protection for its work, in particular in recent years, on healthy eating in schools and breakfast clubs. Breakfast clubs have made a huge difference for many children. When my children went to school in Our Lady of Lourdes national school in Inchicore, there was no breakfast club. We on the parents committee found that some children were coming to school who had nothing to eat since the night before. Through the parents committee, we set up one of the first breakfast clubs. This was in the early 1980s. The only complaint we received about the breakfast club was that children who had their breakfasts at home still wanted to have a breakfast when they came into school.

I thought this was a great combination and one which could be joined in with one of the policy proposals around DEIS schools. The school meals scheme could be expanded to every school, even if it is not a DEIS school. This is very important. I do not love the term "DEIS" or the idea of segregating children and telling them they go to a DEIS school or any other school. All children should be treated the same, regardless of the type of school they attend. My opinion is that it is a disaster to label schools. There are many children in non-DEIS schools who are coming from very difficult backgrounds. They need the same advantages being given to children attending DEIS schools. I therefore agree with this policy.

Most of the schools in our constituency, that is, the constituency of us three members, are old schools although we also have new schools. There is a new school on the old model grounds and in St. Ultan's in Ballyfermot as well. These are relatively new schools and the facilities have meant it was possible to provide proper meals. Unfortunately, in some of the older schools, it is not possible. I agree that all new schools should have proper kitchen facilities where a regular meal can be prepared. I am a real fan of Jamie Oliver. I watched all his programmes from last year and the year before about school meals. One thing I took from them is the importance of people eating things such as broccoli, cauliflower and carrots from a young age which, sadly, does not happen in all households. Some children think vegetables only come in a jar or a tin, but they do not. They can be fresh and have to be prepared. I think that aspect of the programme made a huge impact on many children.

The principal of Mercy Secondary School in Goldenbridge was a model principal. She was there for a long time. My children went to this secondary school. The principal was one of the first principals I ever heard speak about the importance of eating healthy food. She banned all rubbish from the school. Even the teachers were subject to the ban. I thought this was a great idea. Everyone had a set lunch and she used to go through people's lunchboxes. She was an amazing person because she brought in a whole new concept around the preparation of lunches. She brought a great vitality to the school in terms of healthy eating. To this day, my own girls, who went to the school, would be fussy about what they eat and do not eat. Their mother is not as fussy but age has an awful lot to do with it.

I sit on the Committee on Health and Children where we have had people speaking to us about obesity, in particular in young children. At just a couple of months old, these children can find themselves in children's hospitals because they are completely overweight for their age group. We need to promote healthy eating among very young children and this needs to start from their first day in a playschool or crèche.

I compliment the Department on the wonderful effort that has been put into the issue down through the years, in particular in breakfast clubs. Breakfast clubs have worked right across the board. I will not say where I was two weeks ago but I was coming back from my daughter's house. It was lunchbreak time in a school. The school is not in Dublin but in County Meath. I noticed a van parked outside the school gate, which took me by surprise, with a queue going around the corner. I pulled in the car to see what it was selling. I could not believe what was being sold on the doorstep of a secondary school. I thought it a shame when so many young people have good lifestyles and eat healthy foods.

I compliment the Department and agree with it that just because a school is not a DEIS school does not mean it does not have children coming from very difficult circumstances at home and in their communities. All schools that are to be built, be they primary or secondary schools, should have facilities to prepare food on the premises.

I will finish by thanking the volunteers. Sometimes we forget about the parents who show up to run the breakfast clubs and after-school programmes. If we are ever to tackle obesity in this country, we must start with children of a young age. I thank the delegates for their presentations. I was listening.