Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 272: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has received a copy of the report, Making Diabetes Count, What does the future hold, published by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland; her views on same; if she will implement its recommendations, in particular that a comprehensive system be developed for monitoring the prevalence of overweight and obesity and an all-Ireland approach toward population prevalence estimates and forecasts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23876/07]

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome this important piece of work including the population prevalence estimates. The recommendations are generally in line with work already being undertaken by an Expert Advisory Group at the Health Service Executive. The Expert Advisory Group on Diabetes was recently established by the HSE and is currently drawing up standards of care for diabetes. This process will take account of the Department of Health and Children's document 'Diabetes: Prevention and Model for Patient Care'. The group has identified as one of its priorities the development of an Integrated Care Model for the treatment of Diabetes. This model will focus on the joint participation of hospital consultants and general practitioners in the planned delivery of care for patients. Diabetic retinopathy screening, to prevent eye diseases in diabetes sufferers, is currently being rolled out in the Western region and will be expanded in 2008.

With regard to the population prevalence estimates, the Department is generally supportive of an all-Ireland approach to this issue and will be exploring this further with the Northern Ireland Minister for Health.

The HSE is currently in the process of developing a system, based on best practice, which will monitor prevalence and trends in overweight and obesity in our younger population. Relevant in this context are the findings from the Irish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) 2006 which show that fewer children are eating sweets and drinking soft drinks on a regular basis when compared to the findings of the HBSC Study 2002.