Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I rise to speak on an issue on which I have commented many times in this House and which was highlighted last night in a very interesting and informative "Prime Time" debate. The scourge of obesity is a very serious issue in the country, not least among children, with one in four people now obese. Obesity accounts for a serious number of health issues which must be dealt with by a health service that is already struggling. These include cancers and the 80% of type 2 diabetes that is caused by obesity. These statistics are well known by people at this stage but it seems that we are not coming up with a multi-faceted policy to deal with this.

Who is at fault? Is it parents, society, the food industry or policymakers?

The response must be multi-faceted and from all sides of society, not least ourselves. I have sought a debate on the issue on numerous occasions and hopefully it can be dealt with in the new year. It is too simplistic to target particular food types, as happens with sugary drinks. It would help if fiscal measures can be put in place to reduce the amount of sugary drinks children drink. Sugary drinks cost less than water in shops, which makes no sense. We also need to educate mothers. An obese mother is more likely to give birth to an obese child and to a child who will have serious problems with obesity throughout life. We measure the weight of children between zero and four years but in other countries this practice extends beyond four years of age. We must consider it in this country as it works effectively elsewhere. There are major psychological elements to it and it is multifaceted-----