Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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719. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the World Health Organization protocol on monitoring food and beverage marketing to children via television and the Internet; if he will undertake work to quantify the extent and nature of children's exposure to marketing for HFSS foods (details supplied) via television and the Internet as per the protocol; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18011/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Broadcasting Act 2009 provides for the establishment of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) as the independent regulator responsible for the oversight of compliance in relation to broadcast content in the State. One of the objectives of the Authority, set out in Section 25 (2)(f) of the Act is to protect the interests of children taking into account the vulnerability of children and childhood to undue commercial exploitation. As such, I, as Minister, have no role in developing or amending BAI codes on advertising.

Section 42 of the 2009 Act requires the BAI to draw up and from time to time revise Broadcasting Codes on the standards and practice to be observed by Broadcasters.

In this context, the BAI has drawn up the Children's Commercial Communications Code which it published in September 2013. In finalising its Code, the BAI included the principle that all children’s commercial communications for fast food products, outlets and/or brands must display an acoustic or visual message stating ‘should be eaten in moderation and as part of a balanced diet.

In addition, a Code of conduct for On-demand audiovisual media services has been developed by the On-Demand Audiovisual Services Group (ODAS).  This group, under the auspices of the Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation (IBEC) comprises the Advertisers Association of Ireland, the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland, the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland, and a representative group of Broadcasters, Telecommunication companies and other service providers.

The Code covers all on-demand audiovisual services made available under Irish jurisdiction and sets out the minimum standards required of service providers and provides for a complaint mechanism to the public.