Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all of the witnesses for their statements. I note that they were in the Public Gallery for the earlier part of our meeting so they will have an understanding of the committee's position. I am very interested in the work done by Philip Moyles on no-fry zones, but I note that it is only in one area of the country. Has the policy been rolled out elsewhere? In terms of county development plans, would such a policy be difficult to enforce? In terms of fry zones, one is not just talking about the traditional chip shop. There are also fry zones in most service stations these days and they might get planning permission for construction quite close to schools. That is my concern. I know a lot about the good work done by Mr. Moyles through my colleague, Deputy Pat Casey. If we are serious about tackling childhood obesity, should we as legislators be seeking the enforcement of similar policies in county development plans?

Advertising to children is a pet issue for me. I believe that the broadcasting and social media codes should be reviewed. The fact that children know brands by the time they are three, even before they know their ABCs, is very worrying. The witnesses have given us a huge amount of data with which to work and many of their recommendations can be included in our final report.

Ms Feighan referred to breastfeeding in her opening statement, which I welcome because I believe it plays a huge role. The promotion of breastfeeding is an under-resourced area in the context of women's health. Ms Feighan also referred to curriculum development and I ask her to expand on that. We had a discussion with home economics teachers earlier and we also spoke about physical education, but further curriculum development is crucial. It is also important in the context of reducing screen time for children. I ask the witnesses to expand on those points.