4. Mr Durkan asked the Minister of Health whether he will engage with the Minister of Finance to ring-fence funding, generated by the soft drinks industry levy, to address health-related conditions, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. (AQO 558/22-27)

I thank the Member. The soft drinks industry levy is a UK-wide tariff that applies to drinks that contain added sugar. It seeks to contribute to strategies to reduce obesity by reducing or removing added sugar from soft drinks and encouraging producers and importers to reformulate their products to reduce the sugar content and/or portion sizes of added-sugar drinks. Given the nature of the market, and the fact that the levy applies to producers and importers, the relevant businesses report once for all receipts raised across the UK. Therefore, HMRC does not report receipts below the UK-wide level, or regionally. However, in 2022-23, the levy raised £355 million across the UK. Using population measure, and assuming that the production of soft drinks is representative across the UK, we could estimate that £10·6 million was raised in Northern Ireland in the 2022-23 financial year. <BR/>The levy is not formally linked by the UK Government to any specific spending, so it is not known how much the Executive receive as a result of the levy. My Department previously explored the potential to use funds equivalent to those likely to have been raised through the levy in Northern Ireland for tackling obesity and other public health-related issues, but, given that there was no budget line, that did not prove to be possible. It is still my preference that the revenue raised through the levy be targeted at obesity-related purposes. My Department recently consulted on a new co-produced obesity strategy framework, Healthy Futures. The public consultation commenced on 24 November 2023 and closed on 1 March of this year. A consultation summary report is being developed. The Department will give further consideration to the potential to use such resources as the soft drinks industry levy, and the mechanisms to do so, as work on the new strategic framework progresses.

I congratulate the Minister and wish him well on his elevation from frying pan to fire. I do not doubt his desire to do things differently, if it means improving outcomes for people, primarily, but also the public purse. In that vein, does the Minister concur that increased targeted spend on prevention and early intervention will dramatically reduce suffering from, and spend on, conditions associated with obesity?

I absolutely agree with the Member. Take, for example, treatments for obesity and the cost of treatments for obesity. I had my Department give further consideration to the potential to use such resources as this levy, and the mechanisms to do so, through the development of priorities and actions arising from the strategic framework. Officials are in contact with the Department of Finance. A consultation summary report will be published soon.

I agree with the Member: this is a critical issue. Public health is so important. We spend a lot on it, but we think about the savings. I believe very much in data as a way forward, but I am also conscious that all data ultimately equates to human beings, and it is the human cost of things such as obesity that we have to tackle.

I welcome the Minister to his new position. Minister, will you provide an update on funding for the commissioning of hybrid closed-loop technology for people with type 1 diabetes, especially in light of the positive announcement by the Scottish Government?

I thank the Member for her question. I am not entirely sure how it relates to the original question. I can say, however, that the strategic planning and performance group has received formal notification of endorsement from the Department of Health. That followed the review of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) final guidance on hybrid closed-loop systems for managing blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes, which was published in December 2023. Work is being undertaken to understand the implications of that decision for overall provision, consideration of priority groups, system costs, workforce and the communication requirements to enable and support. That will inform final decision-making and commissioning arrangements for Northern Ireland.

The Member may be interested to note that NHS England has developed a phased implementation strategy in response to the guidance. Owing to the scale and scope of the recommendation, implementation will be over a five-year period, and it will include a process of prioritisation for eligibility, in line with NICE guidelines.

Significant additional investment will be required to support the implementation of the hybrid closed-loop system for people living with type 1 diabetes who would be eligible. The Northern Ireland Diabetics Network will communicate with all stakeholders following decision-making in relation to the hybrid closed-loop system and its implementation in Northern Ireland.

Will the Minister provide an insight into what is behind the significant growth in the number of people who live with type 2 diabetes?

I thank the Member for his question. A variety of factors impacts on the growth of type 2 diabetes. We all need to be focused on it because its implications for not only the health of individuals and communities but the resourcing and funding of the health service cannot be overestimated. Factors include age and ethnicity. Above all, however, there are manageable issues, and the biggest of all, of course, is diet. One of the issues that I have been discussing with colleagues and officials in the Department of Health — the discussion is at an early stage and relates to my desire to bring forward an initiative on health inequalities — is diet and the role that dieticians can play if we are to get ourselves out of the building, as we call GP surgeries and hospitals, and take services into the community.