Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

I welcome this timely debate. We have felt the need for it for quite some time as this is not a recent issue. Everybody, especially an adult, has a responsibility for his or her own health, and for children it starts in the home with parental responsibility. I assure the House that neither I nor my wife ever gave our children the price of a takeaway meal at lunchtime. They always got a packed lunch because that was how I was reared. Too often we see children get the price of a bag of chips, a burger, minerals or crisps for lunch when the statistics clearly tell us that is not the appropriate diet for children. We must all accept responsibility as adults, and parents must accept responsibility for what children are taught in the home about healthy eating.

The health services as we know them are reactive and cater for what already exists, such as dealing with people who have heart disease or other conditions as a result of obesity or lifestyle. Let us discuss positive proactive health policy. The report of the national task force on obesity states obesity should be tackled at the highest level, with the Taoiseach's office taking responsibility and providing an integrated and consistent proactive approach to addressing overweight and obesity and implementing, monitoring and evaluating the national strategy on obesity in conjunction with all Departments, relevant bodies and agencies, industry and consumer groups.

The Department of Finance should carry out research to examine the impact of fiscal policy and consumer purchasing on overweight and obesity, such as a risk benefit assessment of taxation that supports healthy eating and active living, and subsidises healthy food such as fruit and vegetables. These are radical suggestions but they are important. Ireland should play an active advocacy role within the EU to reform policy relating to healthy eating and active living, including Government activities on global trade and the regulation of marketing and advertising of food for children.

We all played when we were children. This report recommends that at least two hours of physical education be provided each week to be supervised by teachers with appropriate qualifications. I see nothing wrong with that but it should be in tandem with teachers and educational assistants encouraging children to get involved in activities in playgrounds. Parents and schools have the greatest influence on shaping a child's persona. Every child should be able to achieve a minimum of 30 minutes dedicated physical activity every day in all educational settings, and that should not be difficult given children's nature.

Vending machines should be banned from primary schools and I often wonder why they are allowed. A clear code of practice on the provision and content of vending machines in post-primary schools should be developed by industry, the Department of Education and Science and schools bodies. If vending machines are allowed, what is available from them should be carefully monitored.

The Midland Health Board, of which I was a member for many years, had a healthy eating week every year with poster, leaflet and brochure campaigns but none are so blind as those who will not see. Some people do not wish to note the message of such campaigns. People have a responsibility for their own health and if someone's health breaks down the caring institutions or the Government of the day should not be blamed.

As part of their pre-development planning, all schools should be encouraged to develop consistent school policies to promote healthy and active living with the necessary support from the Department of Education and Science. Such policies should address opportunities for physical activity and what is provided in school meals, as the food that students eat should be monitored. Local GPs have a pivotal role to play. It would be helpful if visits took place to both primary and post-primary schools by public health nurses, dieticians and, if possible, GPs with a role in community care.

The Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism should co-ordinate with the Department of Education and Science on the shared use of sports and physical activities facilities by schools and communities. In Mullingar the swimming pool is used extensively by schools, which is as it should be as there is no point in putting public money into sports facilities used by only one club. They should be used by everybody and schools should have high priority when it comes to use, if not first call. Community skills-based programmes should be developed to provide skills such as food preparation, household budgeting and promoting physical activity. We should teach children to cook healthy food and not give them the price of a takeaway meal.

Members of this House are aware that on several occasions over a long period of time I called for a debate on the rising scourge of type 2 diabetes and I am delighted the Minister of State brought with him the statistics on that issue, which are shocking. Overweight contributes to as much as 58% of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes sufferers cause mayhem in clinics throughout the country. However, the real concern is not the number who have been diagnosed, as statistics prove that many people suffer from it but do not know.

I call on the Minister for Health and Children and the Minister of State, Deputy Power, to establish a national screening programme to ascertain the degree to which type 2 diabetes is prevalent in the community. All one needs to do is contemplate the enormous impact this has on the delivery of health service resources to see it is a serious situation that should be addressed as a matter of urgency.

The Minister's statistics refer to conditions previously seen only in adults and note that as much as 58% of type 2 diabetes and 21% of heart disease is attributable to excess body fat. Type 2 diabetes is now seen in children, which was never the case before. That people are developing this condition at such an early age is a serious concern. We need to have fire brigade activity to ensure this condition is diagnosed and treated at the earliest possible opportunity.

The health services in their strategic planning and delivery should advocate a change in emphasis from the primacy of individual responsibility to environments that support healthy food choices and regular physical activity. As the Minister of State has mentioned regarding the smoking ban we have proven that this society can undertake things and accomplish them. That is one of the central traits of the Celtic races. When one thinks they cannot do something that is exactly when they can achieve it. That we can be led but not driven is another feature of our existence. Instead of the latest fashion being to buy something that will injure one's health, why not have a takeaway for healthy food? Now that the wheel has started to roll whoever comes up with that outlet first will do well.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of Health and Children and the private sector and consumer groups should immediately take multisectoral action on the marketing and advertising of products that contribute to weight gain, particularly those aimed at children. If one goes to any shop and sees the number of additives on a label one should ask oneself whether it should be eaten or put in the dustbin. We must be conscious of our health as each person has responsibility for his or her health.

The Department of Agriculture and Food should review policies in partnership with other Departments to promote access to healthy foods. Such policies should encompass positive discrimination in the provision of grants and funding to local industry in favour of healthy products. This means we should be grant-aiding healthy food and we should tax unhealthy food. It is probably a radical approach but if everything else has failed we should try something different. Guidelines on food and nutrition labelling should be reviewed to ensure that labelling is accurate, consistent, user-friendly and contains information on portion sizes and nutrient content. It is well-known that portion size is closely identified with obesity.

The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government should develop coherent planning policies for urban and rural housing, transport, amenity spaces and workplace settings to encourage spontaneous increases in physical activity in adults and children. We should have a positive health policy. If developments are taking place and a large number of houses are being built we should provide for recreational as well as educational outlets. People have to live somewhere and proper services should be provided with those developments. Now that this report is out it is time the cost of obesity to the public purse was brought to centre stage. This report, which was launched by the Taoiseach and spoken on by Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Seán Power, is where it belongs, namely, centre stage.