Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Cathaoirleach and all Senators for their good wishes. As Senators know, I am only in office for one day, but I will give as much information as I can, although the Cathaoirleach did give me the option of not responding. I appreciate the trouble Senators have gone to in making their statements and I have listened seriously to what they have said.

To answer the question asked by Senator Burke, the programme is being rolled out first in the HSE western region, and funding of €750,000 is available in 2009 for that roll-out, which will consist of a mixture of mobile and fixed units. There is an issue with recruitment because recruitment generally is on hold, but because diabetic retinopathy is a priority for us, we are considering the position and discussing it with the Minister for Finance. The funding is in place for the positions. That recruitment has been put on hold generally is a worry, but we hope the programme will go ahead in the west in 2009 because the funding is in place. In the years after that, resources permitting, we will introduce the programme in the other three HSE areas. A key recommendation of the diabetes expert advisory group was the development of a shared care model and in this regard joint general practitioner-specialist clinical guidelines have been developed.

Many Senators spoke about preventative measures, including Senator Fitzgerald, who opened on that point. Prevention is important. As Minister of State with responsibility for health promotion I am committed to the development and implementation of various initiatives aimed at addressing lifestyle conditions which can lead to the development of certain chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90% of cases of diabetes in Ireland. It is considered that one of the factors leading to the increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes is the rise in excess weight and obesity in our population.

As Senators are aware, my predecessor, Deputy Mary Wallace, recently established an inter-sectoral group comprising representatives of all stakeholders, including experts from Government Departments, agencies, the food industry and relevant non-governmental organisations, to oversee the implementation of the recommendations of the task force on obesity and to address general lifestyle issues related to chronic diseases. The first progress report from this group was published last Friday and I will continue with the process and give priority to tackling obesity in particular. I listened carefully to what Senator Twomey said about developing wider screening programmes. This will be considered in the context of the new GP contract and primary care strategy.

If there are any other issues I have not been able to answer today, I will return to Senators with the answers.