Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests and thank them not only for coming before the committee but also for the incredible work they do on a voluntary basis, very often at a time when they are all very busy themselves in their own lives. Given that our breastfeeding rates are disappointingly low at present, we have to wonder how much lower they would be if the voluntary groups were not involved. At an official level in the health service clearly there are major gaps in the supports that should be available as a matter of course. From this point of view I thank the witnesses for the work they are doing, as they are making a significant contribution.

I want to direct questions to Bainne Beatha. I thank the witnesses for the documentation they sent in and for the report. What do they think are the impacts on mothers who do not receive adequate breastfeeding support in hospital? This seems to be the key period. We know a large majority of women intend to breastfeed during pregnancy and when they go into hospital but at the point they are leaving hospital and going home these figures have dropped significantly. Will the witnesses speak to us about this?