Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the impact of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy on obesity levels since its introduction.

Obesity is multifactorial therefore it is not possible to determine the direct impact of the soft drinks industry levy on prevalence rates. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities monitors amendments made to drinks subject to the levy and in 2020, reported that there was a 43.7% reduction in the total sugar content per 100 millilitres between 2015 and 2019. A further assessment is due to be published in late 2022.