Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce obesity rates amongst (a) adults and (b) children in Gosport constituency.

The Government recognises that prevention will always be better, and cheaper, than a cure. The prevention of ill health is a clear mission for the Government and the cornerstone of this is supporting children to live healthier lives. We face a childhood obesity crisis, and the Government will take action to tackle it head on, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. Shifting the focus from treatment to prevention is one of the three shifts for the Government’s mission for an NHS that is fit for the future.

We will bring forward the necessary secondary legislation to ban junk food advertising to children and stop the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16-year-olds. The Government is also committed to stop the targeting of school children by fast food outlets by empowering councils to block the development of new fast-food shops outside schools.

Officials in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ regional teams work closely with local partners, including local authorities and the NHS, to support them with local initiatives to promote a healthy lifestyle and tackle obesity.