Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle obesity.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Supporting people to stay healthier for longer is at the heart of the Government’s Health Mission. We face a childhood obesity crisis, and the Government will take action to tackle the root causes of obesity head on, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
We are committed to tackling the obstacles driving obesity. We have already laid secondary legislation to restrict the advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on television and online, we have announced changes to the planning framework for fast food near schools, and we are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose. We are also committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16 year olds.
While prevention will be key to addressing obesity, so is ensuring appropriate treatment is accessible. Over 28% of adults in England are living with obesity and even modest weight loss can benefit health and reduce the risk of developing obesity-related diseases. The NHS and local government provide a range of services to help people living with obesity to manage their weight. These range from 12-week behavioural programmes, including the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme, to specialist services for those living with severe obesity and associated co-morbidities, which can include obesity medicines or surgery.
We are also working collaboratively across Government to deliver a resilient food system that promotes health and food security. The Food Strategy will work to provide healthier, more easily accessible food to help people live longer, healthier lives.
Further action on obesity under the Government’s Health Mission will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Jas Athwal (Labour - Ilford South)
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 prevent childhood obesity.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The prevention of ill health is a clear priority 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 the root causes of obesity head on, easing the strain on the National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
We have already laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on television and online, we have announced changes to the planning framework for fast food outlets near schools and we are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose. We are also committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. Further action on obesity under the Government’s Health Mission will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 tackle childhood obesity; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits introducing measures to improve access to affordable, nutritious food options.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The prevention of ill health is a clear priority for the Government, and a cornerstone of this is supporting children to live healthier lives. Under the Health Mission, the Government is committed to prevention and to tackling obesity, creating a fairer, healthier food environment.
We have already laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on television and online, we have announced changes to the planning framework for fast food near schools, and we are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose. In addition, initiatives such as the Healthy Start scheme, free school meals, and the holiday activities and food programme provide access to affordable, nutritious food options.
The Healthy Start scheme, introduced in 2006, encourages a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. Pregnant women and families with children aged over one and under four years old each receive £4.25 every week, and families with children under one years old each receive £8.50 every week. Healthy Start can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of, fresh, frozen, or tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried, or tinned pulses, milk, and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries also have access to free Healthy Start vitamins.
Disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools, as well as 16 to 18-year-old students in further education, are entitled to receive free meals on the basis of low income. In addition, all children in Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 in England's state-funded schools are entitled to universal infant free school meals. The holiday activities and food programme provides free childcare places, enriching activities, and healthy meals to children from low-income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing, and learning throughout the school holidays.
We are also working collaboratively across the Government to deliver a resilient food system that promotes health and food security. The Food Strategy will work to provide healthier, more easily accessible food to help people live longer, healthier lives.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce a new plan to help reduce childhood obesity.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The prevention of ill health is a clear priority 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 the root causes of obesity head on, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
We have already laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on television and online, we have announced changes to the planning framework for fast food near schools, and we are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose. Further action on obesity under the Government’s Health Mission will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
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.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
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.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
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 reduce the impact of obesity on (a) people's health and wellbeing and (b) the NHS.
Answered by Jo Churchill
We published ‘Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives’ in July 2020. The strategy demonstrates an overarching campaign to reduce obesity, takes forward actions from previous chapters of the childhood obesity plan and sets out measures to get the nation fit and healthy, protect against COVID-19 and protect the National Health Service.
Actions include restricting the advertising of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products being shown on TV and online, restricting promotions of HFSS products by location and price, calorie labelling in restaurants, expanding weight management services and making conversations about weight in primary care the norm.
In July 2020, Public Health England launched the Better Health Campaign which promotes evidence-based tools and advice to help people look after their mental and physical health. The campaign shows adults the simple steps they can take to eat more healthily, increase their physical activity, care for their mental wellbeing and quit smoking. Change4Life and Start4Life programmes support families to eat well and move more with resources to motivate and encourage behaviour change including simple healthy eating messages, recipes and more.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of applying minimum pricing to (a) alcohol, (b) sugar and (c) other products in the food and beverage sector.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
No assessment has been made on minimum pricing for food or drink, but the Government is committed to tackling obesity.
The DHSC launched ‘Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives’ in July 2020. The strategy demonstrates an overarching, holistic campaign to reduce obesity, takes forward actions from previous chapters of the childhood obesity plan and sets out measures to get the nation fit and healthy, protect against Covid-19 and protect the NHS.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on levels of obesity among (a) children and (b) adults in (i) Coventry North East constituency, (ii) Coventry, (iii) the West Midlands and (iv) England; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle obesity in those areas.
Answered by Jo Churchill
There has been no such assessment because there is no data covering obesity trends during the COVID-19 pandemic as the Health Survey England (HSE) fieldwork was suspended in March 2020. Previously the HSE found approximately a third of adults were classified as obese in surveys over the last 20 years, and before then (1993 – 2000) obesity levels had increased.
We published ‘Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives’ in July 2020. The strategy demonstrates an overarching campaign to reduce obesity, takes forward actions from the childhood obesity plan and sets out measures to get the nation fit and healthy, protect against COVID-19 and protect the National Health Service.
As part of delivering the strategy, on 23 March the Government announced it was dedicating £34.9 million of funding to support the expansion of local authority weight management services for adults, children, and families in 2021/22. As part of this, Coventry City Council has been allocated £331,229 and local authorities in the West Midlands a combined total of £3,968,705 from the Adult Weight Management Services Grant. All local authorities were also invited to submit an expression of interest for funding from a second grant to test the expansion of behavioural weight management services for children and families and pilot an intervention to improve access to local services for children identified as overweight or obese through the national child measurement programme. Successful applicants will be announced shortly.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government’s Tackling Obesity Strategy will tackle poverty as an underlying cause of obesity.
Answered by Jo Churchill
‘Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives’ demonstrates an overarching campaign to reduce obesity, taking forward actions from previous chapters of the Childhood Obesity Plan. This includes our ambition to halve childhood obesity and significantly reduce the gap in obesity between children from the most and least deprived areas by 2030 and sets out measures to get the nation fit and healthy, prevention against COVID-19 and protect the National Health Service.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) help tackle obesity and (b) encourage people to live healthier lives.
Answered by Jo Churchill
We published ‘Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives’ in July 2020. The strategy demonstrates an overarching campaign to reduce obesity, takes forward actions from previous chapters of the childhood obesity plan and sets out measures to get the nation fit and healthy, protect against COVID-19 and protect the National Health Service.
In July 2020, Public Health England launched the Better Health Campaign which promotes evidence-based tools and advice to help people look after their mental and physical health. The campaign shows adults the simple steps they can take to eat more healthily, increase their physical activity, care for their mental wellbeing and quit smoking. Change4Life and Start4Life programmes support families to eat well and move more with resources to motivate and encourage behaviour change including simple healthy eating messages, recipes and more.