The Department of Health says Irish adults could be the "first generation to bury their children" if obesity is not urgently addressed. The comment comes after a call from the Irish Heart Foundation for a 20% tax on sugary soft-drinks in the next budget.

It says this would raise in the region of €60 million in extra tax revenue.

It is claimed that a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages could potentially lead to a 1.3% reduction in obesity - which would reduce the number of obese adults by around 10,000 in Ireland and the total number of adults who are overweight, including obese, by 14,000.

An IPSOS/MRBI study says over half of the public now supports a tax on sweetened drinks - with up to one-quarter of Irish children as young as 3 now clinically obese.

52% of the public are in favour of the tax, compared to 46% against - while 87% of the population believe that sugar-sweetened drinks contribute to obesity among children and young people.

There was majority of support across all social and occupational groups, as well as most age groups. The unemployed were the only occupational group who had a majority not supporting the tax at 53%.

Dr. Ambrose McLoughlin is Secretary-General at the Department of Health.

Dr. Adam Briggs is a Public Health expert from the University of Oxford. He says the tax would have a dramatic impact within years.