David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, to the House. I salute Senator Catherine Noone who has been campaigning on this issue for a long time. She is always interested in what is such an important subject.

I was astonished to see that there has been a tenfold increase in the number of fat children in the country since 1975. That is horrifying, but we can see the evidence of it on the streets. We see grotesquely large children. I have to say that I blame the parents. There is real parental responsibility to ensure proper diet for children. They need to stop stuffing them with chips and hamburgers and so on all the time.

There is also an element of a class situation. We find that in DEIS programme schools the situation is far worse than in more middle-class environments. We have to be aware of the fact that there is a class element.

We need strong political leadership from the political classes, including the Seanad, the Dáil and Ministers. We have a good policy, A Healthy Weight for Ireland - Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016-2025, but we have to implement it. There is no point in having a plan and simply leaving it there and not implementing it. There are quite a few positive elements in the plan. There are guidelines for planners about no-fry zones. That is an excellent idea. There is a national nutrition policy. There is reference to the appointment of a clinical lead for obesity and a special focus on disadvantaged areas.

However, there are areas where there has been little progress. One example is the question of the introduction of mandatory calorie postings on menus. I was the leader of a group from the Oireachtas on "Operation Transformation". I disciplined them. I made sure they ate salad in the restaurant. I caught one poor Fianna Fáil fellow stuffing into beef and potatoes and said, "What do you call that?" He said he was hungry. I told him he was about to get thin. I told the people to take it away and get him a salad. They got him a salad. We won - the political group won.