148. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health if he will commission a report on the commercial determinants of health; if, like the CMO in Wales, his Department will examine the strategies and approaches used to promote products and choices that can have a positive and a negative influence on our health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8164/24]

Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State at the Department of Health: The World Health Organisation (WHO) guidance on Commercial Determinants of Health, defines these as “the private sector activities that affect people’s health, directly or indirectly, positively or negatively”. Commercial determinants can impact a wide range of risk factors- such as smoking, alcohol use, air quality, obesity, physical inactivity and health outcomes, including non-communicable disease, cancer, mental and physical health.

Healthy Ireland supports a range of initiatives across Government departments, agencies and civil society to promote “physical and mental health and wellbeing to their full potential, where wellbeing is valued and supported at every level of society and is everyone’s responsibility.” Policies contained in the Healthy Ireland strategic implementation plan (HISIP) include the National Physical Activity Plan, the National Sexual Health Strategy, the National Mental Health Promotion Plan and the National Obesity Policy Action Plan.

The Department of Health has made progress in reducing exposure to tobacco and alcohol, ever since the smoking ban was introduced as a health promotion initiative in 2004. Recently, the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 forms part of a comprehensive suite of reforms- including the prohibition on the sale of tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products to those aged under 18- to reduce smoking and its harmful effects. The Minister for Health is also developing legislation to further regulate tobacco and nicotine inhaling products.

The Public Health (Alcohol) Act was enacted in 2018 with 28 of the 31 provisions now commenced. The Act seeks to address the high volumes and harmful patterns of consumption of alcohol prevalent in Ireland through a suite of measures including minimum unit pricing, the regulation of advertising and sponsorship, the display of products in mixed retail outlets and the regulation of the sale and supply of alcohol.

In the past year, the Minister has signed into law the Public Health (Alcohol) (Labelling) Regulations 2023, provided for under section 12 of the Act and commenced the Broadcast Watershed provision of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act, which will come into effect in 2026 and 2025 respectively.