Dr. Cliodhna Foley-Nolan:

The Deputy mentioned the issue of a sugar tax. What is being proposed at present is a sugar-sweetened beverage tax. The reason is that honey, jam and numerous other products contain sugar and can be nutritious, whereas sugar-sweetened drinks are not. Officially we can say that we would support it. It is one of a suite of measures that has been shown to have some merit, in the same way as calorie posting. However, it brings into focus the bigger issue of fiscal measures in general. The Deputy mentioned fruit and vegetables. It would be the carrot-and-stick approach of subsidising fruit and vegetable availability and cost.

Much has happened in recent times with regard to cost in some of the low-price multiples. It is interesting what is happening there with the supermarkets. It is an example of how we work with our colleagues in the North. Members will be familiar with the offers of five products for a very reasonable price, or variations thereof, that all the supermarkets in the South are advertising on a weekly basis. The same supermarkets had not been doing that in the North. We have linked up with our colleagues who are now putting pressure on the same multiples in the North. It seems crazy.

The evidence is that fiscal measures work. That is the reason we have been talking about them and working with them for years in respect of tobacco and, more recently, alcohol. Food is next. We must be careful that we pick good examples for fiscal measures, but there is no doubt that it works. It is another example of the different Departments in the Government joining up to prioritise health.

The Deputy also mentioned food poverty. Among other things, we work with the Money Advice and Budgeting Service and its counterpart in the North. For example, we have produced a resource called 101 Square Meals which is nutritionally sound, financially okay but also acceptable. It is a critical issue which we have found-----