Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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I might ask a few questions and then come back in as just four members are present. I do not know how much time is allowed but I shall be guided by the Vice Chairman.

My first question is for Mr. O'Keeffe and the rest of the witnesses. I cannot speak for others but I do not think that childhood obesity is solely caused by sugar or advertisements. All of us here have heard a lot of information about what potentially leads to obesity. On the face of it, the solution seems simple in the sense that one will not gain weight if one does not eat too much and make time to exercise. However, obesity can be due to emotional reasons. The causes of obesity are complex and it is hard to address, especially for policymakers.

In the context of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, recently I did a bit of work on online advertising. I do not mean to be disrespectful of the work done by the BAI by stating we need to address the fact that children are digital natives and so see online advertisements. It is no wonder there are so few complaints because, to my understanding, children do not watch as much television as used to be the case when many of us were younger. There are no tangible statistics but it naturally follows that marketing companies actively target children online which must have an impact, in terms of the clever ways marketing companies associate certain products with sports stars etc. online. I seek Mr. O'Keeffe's comments on that point, although it is relevant to all the witnesses.