Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

I welcome our new Minister of State, Deputy Brady, and congratulate her on her appointment. Senators on this side of the House are delighted that she was recognised and promoted because she is ideally suited for her brief. As a young, modern woman with a healthy family, her eyes will be firmly fixed on health promotion.

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak about diabetes. The last occasion on which the Seanad debated this issue was in 2005. Judging from the Minister of State's contribution, it appears we have achieved 100% of the goals we set in that debate. Diabetes is a chronic progressive disease. Type 1 diabetes is insulin dependent and affects children, adolescents and adults. People who have type 1 diabetes know about it because their survival depends on regular injections of insulin. However, I am told that people can have type 2 diabetes without being aware of the condition. During our 2005 debate, the late Senator Kate Walsh, who had diabetes, asked how one could have diabetes without knowing about it. She advised anyone who noticed the signs of diabetes to seek medical advice because it is manageable if diagnosed on time.

Lifestyle and diet play a significant role in the onset of diabetes, which appears to affect older men especially. Even something as simple as feeling thirsty can be a sign its onset. As we are living longer, the current combined figure of 140,000 for types 1 and 2 sufferers will increase by as much as 37%.

In 2006, the Department of Health and Children issued a report on diabetes prevention and patient care. An expert group set up by the Health Service Executive, HSE, under the guidance of Dr. Colm Costigan subsequently issued its own report. These reports offer an opportunity for significant progress on dealing with the disease.

A "Prime Time" episode broadcast last year made for horrific viewing in its description of a secondary school student in Donegal who suffered from type 1 diabetes. This young girl's plight was raised on the Order of Business in the Seanad. Senator Fitzgerald stated that the girl went blind in one eye but my recollection of the matter is that both of her eyes were affected. It was devastating for her to be struck down at such a young age. No amount of money should be spared in setting up a screening programme to prevent such cruel afflictions because prevention is better than cure. It is also important that people are educated about the signs of diabetes.

As people tend to say the same things in debates such as this one, I will simply welcome all that the Minister of State has said rather than address her proposals in detail. Senators who were involved in our previous debate on diabetes will agree this screening programme represents an improvement on our approach to the issue. I am glad the programme has been rolled out in the west in light of that region's high incidence of diabetes. However, it is crucial the programme is adequately funded. We are all aware of the ban on recruitment and that money is short supply but I cannot emphasise enough the importance of this programme. Over a five-year period, screening will be rolled out to the entire country.

I was heartened to hear that the UK model of clinical governance and quality assurance will also apply here. During the previous Seanad, the Joint Committee on Health and Children heard from an expert group which discussed the this model. I am confident the Minister of State has the enthusiasm to keep on top of her brief. She can change the lives of many people for the better by ensuring the effective roll-out of the screening programme. I urge her not to allow the ban on recruitment to become an obstacle to spending the money available to her as efficiently as possible to help those who are struck down by this disease.