Ms Kate O'Flaherty:

On the issue of reporting, the obesity policy was launched in September 2016. The oversight group was established a year later. We are now two years into implementation and there are two pieces of work under way. We are preparing a progress report. There are a number of detailed actions and cross-sectoral activities involved and we have commenced an exercise to capture all of this. Information in this regard is often provided in replies to parliamentary questions and via other opportunities so perhaps we have not been out there in terms of reporting on progress and the work we have been doing. We have been focused on doing the work rather than on reporting it. We have also started a piece of work with an academic team from UCC, which is the development of an evaluation framework for the obesity policy. We will be working with stakeholders and other Departments in the coming months in building a robust evaluation framework that will contemplate all the quantitative data relating to progress on actions and that will recognise the qualitative data that may suggest societal changes. We hope to have a draft framework by March next. This will be the framework under which we will annually report. As already stated, our focus at the start was on other issues rather than on reporting.

I have already responded to the question on the ring-fencing of funding. As I said, it is a matter for the Minister for Finance.