Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for tabling this Commencement matter. I know how much the issue means to her. I have heard her speak many times about the issue of obesity and know that she has a real passion to ensure, through A Healthy Weight for Ireland, we will proceed to implement our strategy to tackle obesity.

I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to speak to the House about the important topic of obesity, which is a public health priority. The House is already aware that the Government's national obesity policy and action plan were launched in September 2016 under the umbrella of the Healthy Ireland agenda. They recommended that an evaluation framework for progress in implementing the plan be designed. The Department of Health has initiated this evaluation under step 10 of the plan and will report annually, with the first report expected in 2019. The House will be aware that the policy prescribed ten steps forward that would be taken to prevent overweight and obesity. Some early progress on actions under these steps has been achieved. Of course, as with all of our work under Healthy Ireland, cross-departmental and cross-sectoral co-operation is fundamental to our approach to implementation. This is reflected in the national obesity policy implementation oversight group which has been established under the chairmanship of the Department of Health and consists of representatives from a range of Departments and agencies. Sub-groups on reformulation and healthy eating have been established as initial priority areas for action. The sub-group on reformulation recently held a workshop with key food sector stakeholders. A sugar sweetened drinks tax commenced on 1 May this year and work is under way with the Department of Finance on an evaluation of this measure. Engagement is also continuing with other Departments to support the work of stakeholders involved in planning and developing the built environment. I am pleased to advise the House that it is intended to hold a stakeholder forum in November under this theme. In addition, a voluntary code of practice for food and beverages promotion, marketing and sponsorship has also been developed involving representatives from the food industry, the advertising sector, statutory agencies and various Departments. The code was published in February and work is under way to implement it.

New healthy eating guidelines, a food pyramid and supporting resources have been published and circulated. Work has also commenced to develop healthy eating guidelines for the one to five years age group. The House may also wish to know that new nutrition standards for schools, with an initial focus on school meal programmes funded by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, have also been developed. They were developed with the assistance of safefood, the Health Service Executive, the school meals programme in the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and the Department of Education and Skills.

Other work taking place includes implementation of a breastfeeding action plan and a new Making Every Contact Count brief intervention framework; the appointment last year of Professor Donal O’Shea as first clinical lead for obesity; the introduction in the general practitioner under-sixes contract of health assessments, including weight checks; and a five-year communications campaign called START that supports parents in making healthy choices surrounding food and activity.Under the broader Healthy Ireland agenda, a number of other major initiatives support the obesity policy, including a national physical activity plan. Implementation of the plan is well under way, in collaboration with the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and a range of other stakeholders.