Vol. 98 No. 7
I move:—
That a Supplementary sum not exceeding £10 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1946, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Office of the Minister for Local Government and Public Health, and certain services administered by that Office, including Grants and other Expenses in connection with Housing, Grants to Local Authorities, sundry Miscellaneous Grants and Grants-in-Aid, and certain charges connected with Hospitals.
The House will probably be interested in some further details of the Supplementary Estimate required to meet the expenditure for the carrying out of a nutritional survey. The expenditure will fall under the following headings:—Training of investigators, £500; salaries of investigators, £2,000; travelling and subsistence allowances, £1,000; miscellaneous equipment, £30; other expenses including payments for the preparation and recording of information by families whose conditions are being investigated, £3,500. The study of the nutrition of population groups has been a development of considerable importance in modern science. In many countries, even long before the recent war, widespread investigations of nutritional conditions were undertaken by national agencies in order to determine the effect of the foods consumed on the health of the people. From these investigations valuable information was obtained, not only concerning health but illuminating the trend of popular food habits and tastes. In addition data of great importance to sociologists, economists and agriculturists became available.
A feature of such research was the determination of the exact quantity and quality of the food required to maintain optimum health. Such information, specific for each country in respect of differing national foods and food customs, has been elaborated into broad dietary standards which are now generally accepted. It is unnecessary to describe in detail the very great influence this knowledge of food standards has had on the food policies and rationing arrangements of the belligerent countries recently. In fact the application of scientific nutritional knowledge has enabled many countries to weather conditions which previously would have brought about famine conditions.
In this country, thanks to the fact that so many of our people own and farm their own land and that food, as compared with any other country in Europe, is in relative abundance, the problem of malnutrition amongst large population groups has not been nearly so acute as elsewhere. Nevertheless, it is undoubted that some social groups in our community may experience hardship owing to lack of proper food or a poor quality of food, due to inefficient distribution, faulty economic organisation or possibly due, in certain circumstances, to improvidence.
Some time ago I approached the Medical Research Council with a request that they should advise on the organisation of such a survey which I intend to have carried out directly by my Department with the co-operation of various local authorities throughout the country. As a result of consultation between the Medical Research Council and my Department a scheme of research has been developed. It is proposed to employ a staff of investigators who will receive special training in this work. Arrangements have been made for their training as it is desirable that they should be fully cognisant of methods internationally recognised. The work will be under the personal supervision of a medical officer of the Department who has special nutritional experience. It is hoped that this survey will provide data for the drawing up of standards peculiarly suitable to Irish people and which, at the same time, will be relevant to international standards and practice.
I think the House will welcome this proposal to set up a committee to investigate nutritional problems here. I think we are very much behind-hand on this question of dietetics and the attempt to investigate it now is a step in the right direction. The Parliamentary Secretary has stated that there is no problem of acute malnutrition in this country. I suppose that is so; there is no great problem of empty "tummies" but I think there is a problem of unbalanced diets. The Parliamentary Secretary, I suppose, knows as well as I do, that large sections of our people are living on carbohydrates and that they certainly lack proteins and vitamins that are essential to a proper balanced dietary. Of course, the Parliamentary Secretary appreciates that the lack of these elements gives rise to many troubles and diseases. I think our people generally suffer from a lack of food and that we do not eat sufficient vegetables. Large sections of our people live on bread, tea and potatoes. The dietary of many of the poorer sections of the community is lacking in essential vitamins and proteins contained in meat, milk, fruit and vegetables.
I understand that the committee which it is proposed to set up is to investigate the standards of diet at present in existence among the various sections of the people and the standards which it would be necessary to achieve in our circumstances, and for our particular mode of life, having regard to the types of food available. It is essential, before encouraging balanced dietary for the people, that we should find out the standards suitable to our circumstances. I have no doubt that this investigation and survey will produce very useful and important information for our guidance in that respect. Therefore, on behalf of this Party, I welcome the proposal.
