Professor James Bernard Walsh:

Further to Senator Kyne's question on levels and what Dr. Martin Healy said also, a huge number of people are coming in and requesting certain levels of vitamin D but in fairness to the HSE website it states that we do not need those levels. We know that it is safe. It is like if one is thirsty one takes a drink of water or if one is hungry one eats a bit of bread. We do not need it. We know that it is extremely safe. As we re-emphasised in our study of 36,500 people, we did not have an existential level. From that point of view, therefore, the level we are recommending of 800 to 1,000 international units is totally safe and will bring people up into normal levels. That is all it will do, and one can take it. In winter time, 70% of people of all ages in the Dublin metropolitan area will be deficient in vitamin D, and there is not too much difference with the rest of the country, but all they need do is take it. We only do levels in other people if they are required in particular cases but, ultimately, it is not an essential point.

I dealt with the issue of fortification of food already. We know that Finland has done so and where it has done that it has made a difference in the severity of rickets and the severity of cases. Even with fortification we have not got over the insufficiency levels that we have in Dublin. That is okay. As I said, GPs can prescribe vitamin D so that is something. People have medical cards and that would help to get over the cost issue. The GPs can add it to the prescriptions of people with GMS cards but people must be aware of the fact that GPs have that power. For others, it is very cheap to buy not only in a chemist but even in a supermarket. Good quality vitamin D is very readily available.