Mary Wallace (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 142 and 159 together.

Food poverty is usually defined as an inability to obtain an adequate, nutritious diet, because of lack of money, physical difficulty in getting to and from suitable shops, lack of equipment or cooking skills, and linguistic or cultural barriers. It will be appreciated, therefore, that tackling food poverty involves a range of Government Departments and Agencies.

Poor diet and nutrition is a major cause of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and type — 2 diabetes. My Department is currently finalising a National Nutrition Policy, which, while addressing the nutritional needs of the whole population, will also deal with the issue of food poverty.

Already, a number of actions have been undertaken at community level by the Health Service Executive. The HSE has worked with the Local Authorities and other groups to address the environmental factors that contribute to food poverty and obesity by developing food co-ops in disadvantaged areas. The HSE has also provided funding for the Food Poverty project Healthy Food for All which is being undertaken by a number of agencies, including St. Vincent de Paul, Combat Poverty and Safefood.