In June 2012, the then minister for public health said the government was not scared of the food industry and had not ruled out legislation, because of the costs of obesity to the NHS.

The final legislation might throw a public plan into the competition, but thanks to the fierce opposition of the insurance industry and Republican critics, it might not save much money.

Draft legislation that would increase penalties for public websites which allowed users to stream copyrighted video-games, television shows and music is being fast-tracked through the Senate.