I propose to take Questions Nos. 233, 234 and 236 together.
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.
Government Departments and key Agencies with responsibility for implementing policy and with relevant expertise and experience, were invited by the Chief Medical Officer of my Department to propose representatives to join the OPIOG. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the OPIOG held its inaugural meeting on the 19 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).
At its inaugural meeting, the OPOIG agreed to establish two sub-groups for Reformulation and Healthy Eating. Further sub-groups will be established as required. Both sub-groups 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 on methodology for measuring the efficacy of the Sugar Sweetened Drinks Tax - is therefore at an early stage. I expect that the elaboration of such methodologies will evolve over the course of this work.
Finally, I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the OPIOG will identify processes for engaging with networks of stakeholders, including health organisations. The OPIOG will therefore elaborate on this aspect of its functions over the course of its work to implement the OPAP that runs up to 2025.
