Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman. I confirm that I am in Leinster House, LH2000.

There are two points I wish to raise, the first of which is on dieticians. One might say that this does not come into the realm of mental health but it does. I was contacted around this time last year by a number of parents in my constituency to say that eating disorders were spiking again among young people and that there were not enough dieticians in my district of CHO 3 and, indeed, nationally. We organised a campaign within the constituency, which was very good. In March of this year we received confirmation from the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, that a new dietician would be appointed to University Hospital Limerick. Do we an adequate number of dieticians in the country?

Dieticians serve two very important roles. Some people attend them for weight management, including those who suffer from or are trying to manage diabetes but there are also those with eating disorders. That is my first question and I do not mind who answers it.