Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses and thank them for their presentations and for a very informative debate. Based on the publicity in recent months, I started taking vitamin D at home recently. I have been taking Seven Seas capsules for many years as well as vitamin C so I hope I will be immune to all the different conditions. I can afford those things, thankfully. There are many more disadvantaged communities where families cannot afford supplements and perhaps would not have the level of disposable income to be conscious of these things. Therefore, any actions that could be taken for these communities would be important. Would that be worth investing in for the sake of the health of those who cannot buy supplements? I also have high cholesterol and I take tablets for that, as do many people. When the doctor takes my bloods during regular check-ups, I often get results relating to liver function and so on. Are vitamin D levels routinely taken by GPs for any age cohort? If not, should they be? Is it easy to do so? Is it easy to get a test analysed?

Secondly, Covid can impact the lungs and breathing. Does vitamin D have any other positive roles in other conditions in keeping people fighting fit? For example, we have not had the winter flu this year, thankfully. Obviously, that is related to Covid and all that has gone on in that regard. Could vitamin D be beneficial in keeping people fit enough to fight a winter flu? Is there any evidence for that? We are talking about the long term, but should milk or certain foods be fortified? What engagement with the food and drink industry has taken place? What would it advocate in that regard?