Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to take what I consider to be a very important matter. There are hundreds and thousands of people in this country who are suffering from type 1 and type 2 diabetes, yet we have no record, no statistics and no understanding of how many have either condition. There are many other countries that have national registers for people with diabetes. I am calling for the establishment of a national register to inform policymaking in terms of ascertaining the number of people in this country who have type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is an overarching condition that can have so many profound effects, including on eyesight, hearing and bodily function. We do not have any statistics on the number of people who are suffering with diabetes. As already stated, many countries already have national registers. I do not think it would cost a huge amount or cause significant inconvenience for GPs throughout the country to be able to log on and register patients who have been diagnosed with diabetes. The ask is simple. Is there a Government commitment to establish a national register? What kind of timeframe are we looking at? If there is no such commitment, why is that the case?