Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone for attending, especially the leaders. As someone who has struggled with her weight all her life I had to think twice about coming to today's meeting. I find it very difficult to talk about it. That is unusual because I am a politician and the only woman who stood in two elections in a male-dominated area. I usually cast it aside. As women politicians we are often scrutinised about our appearance. The online chatter when we make a television appearance is often about what our hair or double chin looks like rather than about what we say about the politics of the day. A lot of Irish women struggle with their appearance.

I agree with much of what has been said. I am a mother of a young daughter. We all struggle to try to manage our time. Sometimes we have very little control over what our children eat. It is not just about shopping. As a working single mother I rely on child care and childminders to be able to pay my mortgage, and I spend time with my daughter at the weekend. That is how I manage my life. It is not perfect but that is an issue faced by many. We must have a modicum of reality.

What the leaders are doing is amazing. It is fantastic. They give people like me great confidence. Perhaps I should be more proactive. I hope that I will be after this meeting. We must be realistic about how time-poor people are. I do not say that as an excuse. I can see Dr. Eva’s eyebrows rising already. It is not an excuse. I am sick of people blaming the education system for mental health, sex education and health problems. Children are raised in communities and it is people’s attitude to exercise that counts.