Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I raised the national report on obesity and related matters yesterday in regard to primary school children. Employees in my office telephoned 20 random primary schools yesterday and could not find one with a vending machine. This raises questions as to where the report's authors undertook their research. I pointed to the difficulties of many primary schools in terms of the provision of games and physical education and observed that many schools have no GP rooms and are forced to install prefabs in the school yard. In this context, I put forward the proposal that we should examine the possibility of appointing games co-ordinators and specialised PE teachers.

There was one issue I neglected to mention but which we should also consider. Cookery is a subject that is no longer allocated any time on the primary school curriculum. The availability of specialist cookery teachers would mean primary children could learn how to cook properly. The pressures teachers are under to implement the curriculum mean there is not time for such instruction. The issue of specialisation in the areas of physical education and cookery should be considered.

I understand the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, will make a public statement today on the new consumer strategy group proposals. This will apparently lead to the establishment of a new super-agency for consumer strategy. We must remind ourselves that a significant part of the problem in this area is that resources have never been made available to the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs to allow it to undertake its functions properly. The notion that some new all-encompassing body can now take over and perform more effectively will only prove true if the necessary resources are made available. The reality is those resources have never been provided before.

I am confused on one particular point. What are the positions of the various political parties on the groceries order? Representatives from the same party often present different points of view on this issue. I understand the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business has unanimously supported the lifting of the order. Nevertheless, it seems the various political parties have different views on this and that the Government is fudging the issue. It is focusing on the consumer strategy group to secure headlines for something which may well never get the resources to undertake its functions effectively and which, at any rate, cannot come into existence until after legislation is passed through the Houses, which could take four years.