Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, and her staff for engaging with me on this issue. As the Minister knows, I am very passionate about this issue. A number of years ago, my Green Party colleagues in Galway and I tried to get the local council's budget to set aside funding for advertisements on local radio to promote breastfeeding because in the media, breastfeeding cannot compete with formula milk as the State does not have the funding to allow it compete with companies that make money.

I am glad the Minister has taken on board that this is a public health issue in the same way as is the consumption of salt and sugars. I know from speaking to the departmental officials that they took that on board as well. This amendment is an important step today. Nothing will take away the fact that we need to provide support to encourage breastfeeding and that means more lactation consultants, which has been provided for by the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. However, the State must provide more support when it comes to organisations such as the La Leche League of Ireland, with which I have been involved for a long time, Cuidiú and Friends of Breastfeeding. In particular, I thank the Baby Feeding Law Group Ireland for the tremendous work that it has done on this issue.