Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Point taken. I have a question. For example, we know that cigarette smoking is more prevalent among those who are unemployed for the obvious reason they have nothing to do all day. Has any study been done as to whether Travellers with good education, good housing and jobs live as long as the settled? In that way, we can measure the forced lifestyle situation and its effect on people's health. I think one would find shocking the effect of housing, unemployment and all those lifestyle issues, including non-engagement in sport. Travellers do not engage in sport because they are not invited to engage in sport.

There are many issues. We need to deal with the immediate health issues - that is what we are here for today - but we can never leave the spectre in the room out of this particular debate, that lifestyle is having a significant effect. Unless we co-ordinate all these matters, we will deal only with the symptoms, not with the underlying cause of all this.