Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses. Their submissions were very interesting and informative and we have learned a lot from their insights and observations. Many good things are being done to try to tackle the issue of obesity in children and in adults and to have a policy in place around having a positive, physically healthy lifestyle and eating appropriately. There were many lessons for Deputies and Senators. We have to try to grab something very quickly and we do not get the chance to do any physical activity.

It is well documented that being overweight or obese is a significant risk factor for many chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, infertility, respiratory disease and mental health illness. There is an onus on all of us to ensure we have in place long-term sustainable school programmes, including adequate teacher training, training for leaders in communities and parents, to enable us to reverse obesity trends, prevent health complications and reduce the overall health burden for individuals, their families, the health system, wider society and the economy, taking account of my earlier comment that it costs approximately €1 billion annually to treat individuals who are overweight or obese.

The committee will be making recommendations to the Minister based on all of its interactions and the information gathered. We look forward to further interaction on this issue into the future.