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THE DEPARTMENT OF Health has spent €230,000 this year to sponsor the current season of RTÉ’s Operation Transformation.
For the second year in a row, the weight loss and lifestyle series is sponsored by Healthy Ireland – a government initiative aiming “to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in Ireland”.
Over €350,000 was spent between advertisements and sponsorship of the show last year, with a Department spokesperson confirming €230,000 was spent on Healthy Ireland’s sponsorship this year.
“Healthy Ireland sponsored Operation Transformation in 2021 as part of the Government “Keep Well” resilience campaign. Whilst the sponsorship does not confer editorial control it does allow Healthy Ireland to work with the producers and recommend or weave in themes and messages on health topics, which are not confined to healthy eating and physical activity,” a spokesperson for the Department said.
The programme, which returned to screens earlier this week, has come under scrutiny recently over what critics say is its primary focus on weekly weight loss and the perceived negative mental health impacts that that focus may have on some viewers.
The Eating Disorder Association of Ireland, Bodywhys, earlier criticised the series for what it says was the considerable emphasis on dieting, body weight and shape and how each is measured, collectively counted and presented.
Bodywhys contacted Operation Transformation producers requesting that they consider “a more inclusive approach, signpost to support services and add disclaimers around the content” in an effort to avoid creating “a community sanctioned dieting culture that research shows does little to achieve long-lasting weight loss or health promotion”.
RTÉ said the TV series has evolved considerably over the years and now encompasses a more holistic approach to adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle as well as losing weight.
‘Virtually non-existent’ services
The controversy this week has prompted many to further question the government’s commitment to tackling the issue of eating disorders in Ireland.
In 2020, the entire amount of the development funding for eating disorder services was used to cover other areas of mental health provision. In the same year, hospital admissions for young people with eating disorders rose by 66% and 32% amongst adults when compared with 2019 figures.
Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns told TheJournal that it is difficult to stand over a decision to spend €230,000 on advertisements for Operation Transformation while ringfenced funding of €4 million for the development of eating disorder services went unspent between 2018 and 2020.
“To say successive governments have utterly failed, when it comes to providing services for people with eating disorders, is an understatement,” said Deputy Cairns.
Services are not just threadbare; they are virtually non-existent. There are just three public inpatient beds for treatment in the entire country. This means the only way to access specialist treatment for most is as a private patient.
“This is not good enough. Treatment for eating disorders should be based on need, not the ability to pay.”
The Department of Health said that the enhancement of specialist services for eating disorders, including improved access and shorter waiting lists, is a key priority for it and Minister for Mental Health and Older People Mary Butler.
“In 2021, Minister Butler secured the balance of €3.94 million, which enabled further investment in specialist posts throughout the year,” a department spokesperson said.
“An additional €1.15 million in funding was secured by Minister Butler for the programme in 2022. This additional funding will enable further investment in specialist posts throughout this year, enabling the development of new specialist eating disorder teams.”
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Its nuts, the cost of living vs Irish salaries is not a good deal. Dublin is just as expensive as London. Then you have sub standard public transport, housing shortage, health insurance, car tax/insurance, bank charges, and you’d be lucky to get a pension contribution from any employer.
@Bairéid Rísteard: while I agree Dublin is expensive, most of the companies on question will almost certainly cover health insurance and will also include a pension contribution double of what the employee pays. Also, for some the salaries being paid car tax/insurance wouldn’t be a real breaker. Rent/mortgage costs are the real killer as they tend to be the biggest monthly outgoing
@Alan O’Reilly: fair enough, it would want to be. Yes, rent a damp shoebox for 700 euro plus (if your lucky to find one). No thanks.
@Bairéid Rísteard: There’s other little niggley things like having to do an entirely new driving test if you’re from the States and here more than a year despite being legally able to drive here for a year on your US one… and I mean you even have to do the theory test and wait six months before you can legally drive again..assuming you can get a test…
@Bairéid Rísteard: Now Now, the owners have a right to charge(gouge) us as much as they want for said shoebox and tough titties if you don’t like it…so were told anyway.
@Dave Murray: Yeah, if you don’t like it, go live somewhere in Dublin 14. Can’t see Californians warming to that prospect.
@Dave Murray: aha by putting gouge in brackets you have revealed yourself to be one of the tenant class. The owners don’t get to charge what they want as there is a rent cap in place and before that a rent freeze. You’ll be delighted to hear that there is anticipated to be an exodus of landlords from the sector next year due to rising prices and maturing CAT exemptions. KPMG, Deloitte and Threshold (not known for being landlord friendly) have all recommended improving the tax treatment of landlords in an effort to keep more of them in the game. Ever wonder why so many are leaving such a supposedly profitable sector?
@Bairéid Rísteard:
You’re talking shyte. Tell me a tech company that doesn’t contribute to pensions and compare the cost of public transport between here and London. If you don’t know what you are talking about it is better not to post
@Bairéid Rísteard: Not to mention that Dublin shopping is also more costly than rural parts…
@Bairéid Rísteard: And still the educated Irish are emigrating in their droves to Australia and Canada, where they can expect a decent quality of life and afford to save for holidays etc.
It will take a lot more than Google and Facebook to keep them here…
I think the government gives quite enough support. They need to start supporting indigenous business for once.
@The Guru: lol!
ATTENTION companies of the world.This Fine Gael/ Fianna Fáil government has taxed the Irish people beyond what is moral or just, They don’t care, And they will get you too. RUN, try the UK.
@Dot Com:
And our tax rate is lower than most of Europe.
@Nick Allen: More FG Fake News.
@Nick Allen: Straight talk about take home pay. Sickens me to hear people argue we are not highly taxed. Don’t care what you call it, tax , levy, universal tax blah blah……………….. What do you take home?
@David Huston:
I do understand people like you hate to deal with the facts and much prefer to make stuff up to suit whatever half brain argument you want to support or protest against
http://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-highest-effective-personal-tax-rates-2013-1?IR=T
@Nick Allen: Indirect taxation is through the roof.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/auditors-cleared-of-blame-for-bank-collapse-354757.html
Renting with 10 other people is character building. You learn diplomacy and negotiating skills. Constant noise and distraction with people coming and going at all hours means that something is always happening, every day is different! You can’t invite people over on a whim which means you have to be creative in terms of how you manage your free time but sure isn’t that all part of the fun of relocating to Dublin! Are you resourceful, do you like a challenge? If so, Dublin is the place to be.
There, sold!
Any chance of a job in your spin department Leo? I’ll negotiate a deal to bottle fluoridated tap water and sell it as pure, west of Ireland spring water to the middle east at €5 a litre in return for oil. Hit me up, I’m available :D
@Fake Avast: TBF, I’m sure most will mind the conditions they rent in, at a guess.
Absolutely spot on! It doesn’t matter where you rent in Dublin if you spend your life in the cult of google, pfizer etc. But for those who like a challenge and do have some free time, refer to my first post.
@Super Ted: IT IS CALLED THE RAT RACE.
Sneaky… They must know that high tech staff will never check the internet or anything before accepting a job..
@Jason: and even if they didn’t google search cost of living, is that the kind naive Dumbass you want working for ya
Sock man says just step over the homeless & squeeze by hospital trolleys
If every Irish person who wants to work here is already working (plus all the people we’ve already invited here ) and we can’t accommodate any more people without driving the cost of providing accommodation and other services through the roof, why would we want more people to come here to work for multinationals?
Who does this benefit ( multinationals) and who does it make life more difficult for? (the people of Ireland)
Should we instead be supporting our Indigenous entrepreneurs to setup Irish businesses in other countries and repatriate some of the profits here?
Ireland is now as multicultural and vibrant as we need it to be. We don’t need more people – we need more incoming wealth from global entrepreneurial endeavor.
@Nydon: It means that more taxes are being paid and that in turn has benefits for everyone.
@joe: How so? More into coffers of the state and what is it being used for? We’re getting really shitty value for our taxes.
@joe: True but if some money is repatriated from foreign based Irish companies we could have the best of both worlds.
We ( Irish companies) currently employ 55k Americans in America while American companies employ 90k in Ireland. A percentage of all tax paid in Ireland has to go to providing additional services and infrastructure for the people locating here to work for multinationals.
With the right approach we could have the tax take without the added population crush.
@Nydon: there is a good train service to portlaoise… wahts the big deal.
@Michael Heery: we could have a hyper loop?
@Nydon: Why not a monorail?
They ain’t thick. We are worldwide news with how expensive it is here.
@James O’Brien: were not actually. .average American hears Ireland ..thinks St Patricks Day and Leprechauns…Ireland isn’t that important ..
Full false employment, thousands can only get 3 4 days work a week,taken off unemployment figires,and receive SW to survive.cost of living,rents,houses is crazy.
@@mdmak33:
I know, all that extra tax coming in is just fake news….
@@mdmak33:
You obviously don’t understand the definition of full employment
@Nick Allen: Whose definition? FG’s?
@Fake Avast: Ireland is not good for saving money.
How about jobs for locals and older workers
It is such a shame that an issue like this is destroying many of our chances of the European HQ’s from the UK being relocated to Ireland. We need higher buildings, or better rail networks to outlying towns around dublin. We could have gained a great deal from brexit, and it looks like our government just did not care to pave the way for this. A propaganda machine and an assortment of new socks was seemingly more important.
There’s more to Ireland than Dublin and hi-tech by its very nature does not have to be camped in the city.
What’s wrong with Athlone, Longford or Tullamore where’s there’s oodles
of cheap commercial and residential real estate?
Personally I would not like to live in Dublin because of nasty traffic snarls, pollution,
street crime and social alienation ( a poxy environment) even if accommodation was affordable.
I’m just amazed how everything is aimed towards Dublin! In this digital www world it facinates me that they still want to attract everybody into the most expensive part of the country. I’m retired now and bought a lovely house in Tralee Co. Kerry at a quarter of what I would have had to pay in Dublin. I lived and worked in Dublin all my life and was very happy there. I’m two years in Tralee now and I love it. The quality of life is ten times better but one thing that facinated me was the wonderful people I have got to know here raise their children for export. There is no work here except tourism. They expect their children to leave. I find that sad. It’s funny but I left my grown up kids in Dublin where they are all doing Ok. It is not only Tralee but rural Ireland is being decimated.
Our sure they’ll be grand say nothing crap won’t cut it anymore. Our Varadkar type spin won’t conceal our infrastructure deficit in housing etc at all.
She is definitely right here
“Suzanne Whelan, talent acquisition manager at Version 1, agreed that accommodation is a difficult issue at the moment, but she said Ireland has many other things going for it.”
But if you can not afford a house you can still sleep under the bridge
Why are you not using Irish stock photograghers in your journalism ?
The average rent for a one bed in San Fransisco is €3,450. Dublin rents are a breeze compared to Silicon Valley where most of these workers are being moved from.
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