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welcome the opportunity to address the House and to mark National Breastfeeding Week. It provides a chance to recognise the mothers, families, healthcare professionals, peer supporters and community organisations who support breastfeeding across Ireland. This year's theme is, "Every step forward: strengthening support for babies and families … theme reflects the fact that improving breastfeeding rates is not about one intervention or one service. Every positive step, from maternity care to community support, can make a real difference. Breastfeeding is an important public health issue and contributes to giving children the best possible start in life

today's debate. I welcome everybody in the Gallery who works and advocates in this area, the new parents, including those who are breastfeeding, and, most importantly, the little ones they are breastfeeding. Fourteen years ago, not in Ireland, I was canvassed by a candidate running for election … handing out all her literature while breastfeeding. That has stuck with me because I thought how cool it was. It was 14 years ago, in a different time, and it was a great example of breaking down barriers, raising awareness and normalising something that is absolutely and utterly

welcome the opportunity to mark National Breastfeeding Week and to recognise the thousands of parents, healthcare professionals, advocates and community organisations that work every day to support breastfeeding across Ireland. Like everyone else, I take the opportunity to welcome the very small visitors to the Public Gallery today … thank their parents for their ongoing advocacy and engagement on these important issues. National Breastfeeding Week is a really important opportunity, not only to celebrate breastfeeding, but also to reflect honestly on the barriers that continue to exist for families. It is an opportunity to name breastfeeding

long we have not talked about these issues. When I say “we”, I particularly include men. Not nearly enough men are supporting breastfeeding and access to breastfeeding and removing the pressure that is so often associated with it. Last Friday I had the opportunity to be involved … BreastFest. It was organised by some of the lactation consultants locally, including Roisin Sullivan, whom I know through my wife’s experience with breastfeeding. Our little girl is three years old and Aoife went to see Roisin Sullivan when she was breastfeeding. The level of support and encouragement

warmly welcome that we are having these statements today. It is the tail end of National Breastfeeding Week. I warmly welcome all our guests in the Gallery today, including those from La Leche League, Baby Feeding Law Group Ireland and Bainne Beatha. Mary Byrd has been fighting … fight for breastfeeding in this country for many years along with Dr. Liz O'Sullivan and others. I offer a heartfelt welcome to them all in coming here today. It is really important that we mark and celebrate all that is going on to promote and help women

position to donate milk to the human milk bank in Fermanagh, so I come to this discussion with some personal experience of breastfeeding but also with an understanding that every mother's experience is different and every child who is fed is different. I think that matters because … breastfeeding can be wonderful but it is also not easy and at times, it can be really challenging. It can hurt, babies can struggle to latch on and mothers can worry about supply. There can be this constant judgment depending on a woman's background and culture

also welcome everyone who has come to the Gallery for this debate on national breastfeeding week. Deputy Clarke put it quite well about how everyone’s journey is quite different with breastfeeding and we need to support women in the choices they make, remove barriers for those … Health, especially the staffing in place for the domino scheme in Cork. We know the domino scheme is found to be supportive of breastfeeding rates, but in CUH in Cork it has been seriously curtailed because of 80 nursing and midwifery vacancies. While the domino scheme remains operational

welcome all our visitors to the Gallery. We know that breastfeeding is one of the most important positive health behaviours for our newborns. I will use my time to highlight the importance of local volunteer support services. To see successful initiation of breastfeeding in our maternity hospitals alongside … hospital lactation consultant is back on duty. Unfortunately, in many cases a two-day wait or more can spell the end of breastfeeding, while interventions to establish milk supply not received in time can see mothers facing into motherhood triple feeding, an exhausting and arduous journey

want to highlight issues that have arisen in my constituency. I was contacted by a group of mothers who were worried about a breastfeeding support group in north Dublin that was due to close because of staffing pressures. I thank the Minister for contacting the HSE when … mothers should not have been put through that stress in the first place. If it were men who breastfeed, there would be a breastfeeding support group on nearly every corner. New parents have enough to worry about; whether the services they need will still be there next week

This will support research on tobacco and nicotine products with the aim of addressing our stubborn smoking rates. We are also enhancing breastfeeding supports and supporting initiatives in specialist obesity services for children and adults. I will have two strategies completed by the end of the year … breastfeeding and one on obesity. This budget represents a significant investment in prevention, public health and community well-being. It reflects our commitment to supporting children and young people, strengthening families, reducing inequalities and building healthier, stronger communities across Ireland