Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 6 September 2018 to Questions 169508 and 169507, what steps he took to consult young people on his plans to make it illegal to sell energy drinks to children under 16 or under 18 before launching the consultation on those proposals.

The Department did not engage with young people on ending the sale of energy drinks to children prior to the launch of the consultation on those proposals.

The consultation is open to everybody including children, young people, school councils, youth councils and other youth groups. We welcome and will consider all responses to the consultation.

The consultation on ending the sale of energy drinks to children, which is open until 21 November, is available at:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/ending-the-sale-of-energy-drinks-to-children