Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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316. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the level of childhood obesity; the measures he is taking to tackle this problem; the State agencies his Department is working with in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47946/17]

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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A range of health studies and surveys show that overweight and obesity, in both adults and children, is now a serious public health concern in Ireland.

A national Obesity Policy and Action Plan was launched by the Minister of Health in September 2016. The national policy covers the period up to 2025 and aims to reverse obesity trends, prevent health complications and reduce the overall burden for individuals, families, the health system, and the wider society and economy. The Policy acknowledged that every sector of our society has a role in reducing the burden of obesity, and emphasised the key role that the education sector will have in achieving the objectives, particularly in relation to child obesity.

The Obesity Policy prescribed 'Ten Steps Forward' that would be taken to prevent overweight and obesity. Under each step there are a number of actions, some of which have been identified for early implementation.

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that a number of areas of early implementation are of particular interest with reference to child obesity:

- My Department has established an Obesity Policy Implementation Oversight Group. The national Obesity Policy Implementation Oversight Group (OPIOG) - under the Chair of my Department - is comprised of representatives from the following Departments and Agencies: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Department of Children and Youth Affairs; Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection; Department of Education and Skills; Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government; University College Cork; the Food Safety Authority of Ireland; the Health Service Executive (HSE) - including the National Clinical Lead for Obesity; and Safefood. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the OPIOG held its inaugural meeting on the 19th of October last with further meetings to be arranged at agreed intervals for the purposes of providing oversight to the implementation of the national Obesity Policy & Action Plan (OPAP). The OPIOG will identify processes for engaging with networks of stakeholders. It will elaborate on this aspect of its functions over the course of its work to implement the OPAP that runs up to 2025.

-The Minister for Finance has announced in Budget 2018 the introduction of a sugar tax on sugar-sweetened drinks. The policy objective of this levy is to reduce rates of obesity, as well as rates of dental deterioration particularly in young people.

- My Department has been engaging with the food industry, including food retailers, on a Code of Practice to reduce the marketing of products high in fat, sugar and salt, with a particular aim to reduce consumption of such products by children and young people. This voluntary Code of Practice for Non-Broadcast Media Advertising and Marketing of Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, including Sponsorship and Retail Product Placement, will be launched in the coming weeks.

- I recently launched a new child obesity campaign from safefood and the HSE It's called the START campaign and it aims to inspire, empower and support parents to start building and persist with healthy lifestyle habits in the family to prevent childhood obesity. The first phase of the campaign advertising features on TV, radio, video on demand, outdoor and digital platforms.

- New Healthy Eating Guidelines, Food Pyramid and supporting resources have already been published, disseminated and communicated in 2017, including dissemination of the new Guidelines earlier this month to all primary and post-primary schools. Work has now commenced on developing Healthy Eating Guidelines for the 1-5 year old age group.

- 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. These Nutrition Standards were launched by the Ministers for Health, Education and Skills, and Employment Affairs and Social Protection in September 2017. The development and implementation of these Standards meets commitments in the DEIS Action Plan as well as the Obesity Policy.

- Other developments in the HSE, through a new Healthy Eating, Active Living programme will support work in the education sector, as well as with parents, families and communities in supporting a more co-ordinated approach to prevention and early intervention in child obesity.