Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

"Challenging" might be synonymous with "unattractive" in this context and also in politics. As regards the folic acid point raised by Deputy O'Connell, which is an issue I am very interested in and on which I have done some work, approximately 100 babies are born every year with a condition the incidence of which could be dramatically reduced were folic acid to be standard fare for women of childbearing age. Some 70% of those events are preventable but occur in spite of widespread knowledge that folic acid is required by women for the reasons that have been discussed, such as a baby not having been planned even though it is wanted and so on. The World Health Organization, WHO, has advocated the fortification of flour with folic acid. Does Dr. McKenna think there is any reason for that not to be done? Could it have a negative effect on the male population or on women for some reason? Folic acid is of benefit to most bodies, regardless of pregnancy. I may be asking a question to which Dr. McKenna does not know the answer but I am interested in his views on the matter.