Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It has also been stated that 49% of patients in 2017 were aged under ten years. Is the unit conducting live research into the types of children who attend in terms of demographics, backgrounds and the psycho-social elements? Does all of that form part of the research? There are short, medium and long-term effects. I note that the unit is part of Growing Up in Ireland - National Longitudinal Study of Children. Has the research and study had a bearing on the issue? Fundamentally, this committee wants to find ways to stamp out obesity. What tools are needed to tackle the problem? To me, research is one element. Obviously resources are required to be invested in the clinical area. If I have read the situation correctly, there are not enough clinicians working in the sector as it is relatively new. What can we do about that aspect?