Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

One cannot turn on the radio without hearing about how much money we would save if we could do something about the promissory notes. It would not save us as much as some people claim. It is only approximately €1.3 billion, but we hear about it all the time. However, alcohol abuse is costing us €3.7 billion, the Minister says obesity costs us €1.13 billion while not doing enough exercise was estimated to cost us €1.8 billion. Yet, every day of the week we are talking about the promissory notes. The promissory note is very important but it pales into insignificance in comparison with these figures. Is there a figure that takes all three into account? If €3.7 billion is the cost of problems with alcohol abuse, part of that sum would be included in the obesity figure. In a way, they are subsets of each other. Is there information on the exact figure?

The big problem is that for the first time in the history of the human race, with the exception of the landed gentry and royalty in the past, it is easily possible to get enough calories. In my house it was often said that one would not leave many tins of dog food open for the dogs because the dogs are so stupid they would keep eating it until they died. It appears that human beings in certain areas of the world who have unlimited access to food are a little like those dogs and do not know how to stop. It is a big challenge. One issue that is never taken into account is the fact that few of us prepare our food. While perhaps one should not eat a bag of chips because they contain many calories, and ideally one would not, if one at least goes out to buy the spuds, carry them into the house, peel them, make the chips and wash the dishes afterwards-----

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