Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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1118. To ask the Minister for Health if terms of reference for the subgroups of the obesity policy implementation oversight group have been agreed; if so, if they will be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2071/18]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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1119. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 236 of 24 October 2017, the status of the work of the reformulation subgroup of the obesity policy implementation oversight group; the work being carried out to put in place an effective methodology to monitor and evaluate the impact of the sugar sweetened drinks tax in advance of its commencement on 1 April 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2072/18]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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1120. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 235 of 24 October 2017, when the subgroup on reformulation will make recommendations on addressing reduction of portion sizes and on monitoring and validation procedures; the resources required for independent testing of foods, including by external laboratories; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2073/18]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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1121. To ask the Minister for Health if minutes of meetings of the obesity policy implementation oversight group will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2074/18]

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1118 to 1121, inclusive, together.

The sub-groups of the Obesity Policy Implementation Oversight Group (OPIOG) have agreed to meet and agree their draft Terms of Reference, which in the interim, remain under active consideration in the Department. The work of the Reformulation sub-group - including work that feeds into a methodology for measuring the efficacy of the Sugar Sweetened Drinks (SSD) Tax - is therefore at an early stage. The roadmap for its reformulation work is likely to involve a framework for monitoring and evaluating reformulation targets and engagement with the food industry in this regard. I expect that the elaboration of methodologies will evolve over the course of this work while keeping in mind the proposed date for the introduction of the SSD Tax. The OPIOG also agreed to establish a sub-group for Healthy Eating. Its work is at an early stage and it is expected to meet shortly and agree its draft Terms of Reference.

My Department liaises with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) on a regular basis. The FSAI has been validating food industry salt reduction work for many years. It has carried out this work by sampling foods from the market and having them analysed in the HSE Public Analysts Laboratory in Galway. This data is published annually and is available on the FSAI website. The FSAI is exploring the validation of FDI sugar and fat reduction work. In the first instance, it has been developing baseline data on specific foods based on food labelled data and a report on this work is expected in the coming weeks.

The Deputy may wish to note that the FSAI has also advised my Department that this year, it is funding the analysis of breakfast cereal and yoghurts for sugar, fat and salt by an external laboratory as part of its reformulation validation work.

Finally, the draft minutes of the first OPIOG meeting held at the end of October last will be submitted for approval at the next meeting of the OPIOG after which they will be available. Its next meeting is expected to take place in February.