Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 October 2023
477. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the resources being made available for the research of the evaluation of the sugar-sweetened drinks tax in Ireland; the funding being made available to access data sources such as household panel purchasing data; if sufficient resources will be made available such that a comprehensive study can be carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43548/23]
View answerA Healthy Weight for Ireland, the Obesity Policy and Action Plan (OPAP), was launched in September 2016 under the auspices of the Healthy Ireland Framework (Healthy Ireland: A Framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing 2013-2025). It was developed in recognition of the growing need for a co-ordinated policy response to the increasing problem of obesity in Ireland and the increasing burden placed on individuals and society.
The OPAP recognised that “implementing evidence-informed regulation, legislation and fiscal measures, [would] increasingly support people to make healthy choices” and committed to developing evidence-based proposals on fiscal measures to support healthy eating and lifestyles. It also undertook to review this evidence, including the effectiveness of implementation of fiscal measures on products that are high in fat, sugar and salt. The Sugar Sweetened Drinks tax, introduced by the Department of Finance in 2018, is the first such fiscal measure in Ireland and the Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan (HISAP) 2021-25 committed to “Undertake an evaluation of the sugar sweetened drinks tax against the stated aims of the tax”.
As a first step in planning the evaluation a scoping review was undertaken by the Department of Health. This review examined approaches other countries have employed to evaluate similar SSD taxes. The Department also engaged with a number of national and international experts in the evaluation of SSD taxes. Following the completion of this review, the Department identified the need to commission an external evaluation of the SSD tax.
The Department recently undertook a procurement process to acquire the services of a contractor to carry out an evaluation of the Sugar Sweetened Drinks Tax with the objective of measuring the effectiveness of the SSD tax in Ireland. Outcomes of interest in the evaluation may include the following:
- the extent to which the tax was successful in realising the objectives as stated in the original policy document and set out below:
(1) that individuals reduce consumption of sugar sweetened drinks by reducing the amount consumed or switching to healthier choices;
(2) that industry reformulates products to reduce (not necessarily remove) levels of added sugar in the drinks products;
An agreement has recently been reached with the contractor and work on the external evaluation will now commence. This work is expected to cost a maximum of €49,750 (exclusive of VAT). This provides for a wide search for potential data sources and the purchase, where required, of relevant market data and possible fees for extraction of relevant secondary data if available. This work is expected to be completed in the new year. The Department will publish the findings of the evaluation upon completion.
