Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will correct the record by pointing out that I supported the dairy industry by having a good, healthy glass of milk with my dinner. As Deputy Michael McGrath stated, I enjoy a can of Coke sometimes. This is an important issue. I told Deputy Cullinane that if he stated in the House that I was drinking Coke, my wife would have a good go at me when I arrive home tonight because I am trying to lose weight.

A while back, while waiting to be interviewed on "Morning Ireland", I had a conversation with a clinical expert on obesity who was about to be interviewed in a slot. We discussed the issue of obesity and another issue about which I was due to speak on the programme. He told me my party needed to get to grips with obesity, an issue which impacts most on deprived areas. He pointed out that, as a result of obesity, people in these areas are also deprived of many opportunities and stated that one of the key steps, albeit not the only one, was a sugar tax. Investment is needed in physical education in schools and in making sport accessible in deprived areas. While I do not wish to diminish the great work done by the GAA, soccer academies and a wide range of other sports, it can be expensive to keep up with a sport, whether paying for new football boots or a sports bag or making the weekly voluntary contributions. These issues must all be addressed.

The imposition of a sugar tax is a good move. Deputy McGrath is correct in this regard. We have learned already that the estimated revenue from the tax has already been revised downwards on the basis that companies have decided to alter the ingredients of their products. Moreover, arising from the decision to introduce a sugar tax, people are becoming more aware that these products are one of the causes of obesity. This can only be good because obesity is a major killer.

I was convinced by the arguments made by the clinical professor to whom I spoke in the "Morning Ireland" waiting room, although I was not happy when he broke the news to me that I was obese, even if he did not do so on air. It is for this reason that I no longer drink Coke. We all have to try to lose a couple of inches from our waistlines.

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