Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

While we discuss the ins and outs of the health services, the greatest factor in whether a person will be healthy is the area and the type of family into which he or she is born. We do not spend enough time addressing the relationship between health and poverty.

I take the point that the Minister's Department is involved with other Departments and so on, but how does she get the other Departments to prioritise issues that affect people's health? I attended the launch of a document published by the Galway Travellers Movement regarding a particular halting site in Galway. The movement assessed the effect of the site's conditions on the health of those living there. In this context, to what extent can the Minister for Health and Children influence, for example, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to address these issues?

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