Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Burke for her presentation. I have two questions, one of which is on using the metric of life expectancy. I understand Ireland is ranked 25th in the world with regard to high life expectancy. Japan and Singapore have higher rates of life expectancy, but on the suitability of using that metric when we discuss health inequalities, is it accurate? Is it a useful tool?

Also, on the issue of geography, a Harvard study found that race, poverty and ethnicity are key divides between ill-health and wellness, and that geography is often a factor that is not taken into account when we are considering them. From an Irish context, could Dr. Burke expand on the way geography impacts on people's wellness and their ill-health?