Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute on this important motion.

According to census 2006, Ireland's population of young people — up to 18 years — is more than 1 million, representing 26% of the population. Overall this population group experiences good health and reports high levels of general well-being. A few months ago I launched the most recent health behaviour in school-aged children survey, HBSC 2006. I was delighted when the survey results showed that rates of excellent or good self-reported health have improved in the children surveyed since the previous survey in 2002. With regard to children's reported happiness, 92% of boys and 89% of girls feel very or quite happy with their lives, which is a slight increase since 2002 across age groups and gender.

While this can be deemed positive, the many difficulties and challenges that face young people in our society today must be recognised. In seeking to improve and maintain the health of young people, the Department of Health and Children works toward a policy-making process that ensures a holistic understanding of the young person, with the young person at the centre of the process. To this end, the work of the Department is focused to a large extent on addressing the determinants of health for young people while ensuring preventative, partnership-based approaches are to the fore.

I refer to smoking. While the consequences of smoking-caused death and disease emerge in adulthood, addiction begins when most tobacco users are children and teenagers. The younger the age when a person takes up smoking, the higher their nicotine intake as adults. In addition, the earlier children start to smoke, the more likely they are to remain smokers. More than three quarters of all smokers in Ireland started to smoke before they reached the age of 18. It is critical, therefore, that we do everything possible to stop children and young people from smoking in the first place.

A report published by the Office of Tobacco Control late last year, focusing on the issue of children, youth and tobacco, shows that 16% of those aged between 12 and 17 smoke. The office made children and youth smoking its top priority in 2007. Earlier this year the office held a conference entitled, Children, Youth and Tobacco: Causes, Consequences and Actions, which highlighted the risks to young people of tobacco use and the actions that can be taken to reduce it. Research shows that one of the most effective measures in preventing young people taking up smoking in the first place is the price of tobacco. A number of measures have been taken to prevent young people smoking, including the banning of the sale of packs of less than 20 cigarettes and confectionery which resembled tobacco products from 31 May 2007 and increasing the minimum price at which 20 cigarettes can be sold to €6.79 with effect from last Monday, 19 November. My colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, hopes to shortly announce the commencement date for further provisions of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 and 2004. We are in consultations and will take decisions in this regard in the near future.

Ireland has experienced significant increases in alcohol consumption and related harm over the past decade and alcohol misuse is a policy area in which I am committed to working towards protecting children, particularly in light of worrying attitudes to alcohol among young people. Research shows that a young person who commences drinking before the age of 15 is four times more likely to have problems associated with alcohol in adulthood. We need, therefore, to make particular efforts to protect our young people and to delay them taking their first alcoholic drink for as long as possible. The HBSC study shows that half of children aged between 15 and 17 years report they are current drinkers and more than one third report they have been "really drunk" in the past 30 days. That is alarming. We must act to protect our children and young people. The evidence contained in the study should strengthen our resolve in that regard. We all have a part to play in addressing this problem. We need to take responsibility, both collectively and individually. We need to examine our social acceptance of alcohol and the signal this sends to young people.

A number of the recommendations contained in the report of the strategic task force on alcohol concern a reduction in the exposure of children and adolescents to alcohol advertising, marketing and sponsorship. In response to these recommendations, the Department entered into negotiations with the broadcasting, media and drinks industries to restrict alcohol advertising, sponsorship, sales promotions and marketing practices. This resulted in the establishment of Central Copy Clearance Ireland which addresses the issue of the content of alcohol advertisements. A voluntary code of practice on advertising was agreed, which addresses the issue of the placement of advertising. The alcohol marketing and communications monitoring body was put in place to oversee implementation of these voluntary codes.

The first annual report of the alcohol marketing communications monitoring body for 2006 was submitted to the Minister responsible in July this year. Following consultation, my Department has decided to commence discussions with the relevant stakeholders with a view to strengthening and expanding the current voluntary codes on alcohol marketing and communications. The purpose is to provide significantly greater protection for children and young people. I will give further consideration to the possibility of using legislation in this area depending on the outcome of these discussions.

With regard to sponsorship of sports and youth events by alcohol companies, the Department intends to raise this issue with the industry representatives during the course of the broader discussions that will take place on advertising and marketing to which I referred.

Another issue to which I wish to refer in the limited time available is obesity, the prevalence of which has been described by the World Health Organisation as an epidemic. Ireland is no different from other countries in terms of obesity trends. Data suggest that there could be more than 300,000 overweight and obese children on the island of Ireland. The rate is rising at a probable 10,000 per annum. In response to these trends a national task force on obesity was established in 2004. Its report, Obesity: the Policy Challenges, was published in 2005. It encourages and facilitates a healthier lifestyle, thereby reducing the incidence of non-communicable diseases that afflict many in Ireland.

At an early stage my Department was able to begin funding implementation of the recommendations that related to the health sector. For example, additional funding has been made available to provide specialist community dietitian and physical activity posts in obesity and weight management and for the development of specialist hospital services for obesity treatment. I would like to have the opportunity to refer to physical activity and the national nutrition policy but time does not permit me to do so.

I assure the House of my commitment, as Minister of State with responsibility for health promotion and food safety, to continue to keep a focus on promoting healthier lifestyles for young people and seek the most appropriate means of realising this goal.

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