Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate him outlining it from a consumer protection point of view. I saw a reply from his colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, when Deputy O'Reilly asked this question last May because it has been an existing issue. She essentially received an outline on the promotion of breastfeeding, which read to me as saying the Government was not going to do anything because people should be breastfeeding, which certainly does not help any parents. I find those answers really frustrating so I appreciate the Minister of State's engagement. I understand the issue about coupons applying directly to formula, but these are general supermarket vouchers. It should not contradict the WHO code, because it is not applying directly to formula. It is not applying directly to brands, which is marketing, but it is allowing them to be applied across the board. It is more of a marketing tool for supermarkets than for particular brands in themselves. It should not impact that. I had a look into that European Union directive. As far as I understand, that has been repealed, or it has not been replaced. Maybe we can explore around that a little more. This issue was raised in the UK and Danone has already decreased its prices by 7%. The key thing is making available, at the Government level, low-cost, generic formula for all. That does not contradict WHO guidelines, but people who use formula are able to avail of a low-cost, generic option.