Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure (1) that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill can be implemented in full in Northern Ireland, and (2) that the Bill is compatible with the Windsor Framework and European Union law.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s position remains that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will apply in Northern Ireland and is consistent with both our domestic and international obligations.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential barriers to implementing the provisions of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in Northern Ireland in line with the Windsor Framework, following the opinions submitted by Greece, Romania and Slovakia to the European Commission expressing their view that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill would be incompatible with EU law.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Technical Regulatory Information System (TRIS) notification is a routine procedure required under the Windsor Framework. It is not an approval process.
Receiving detailed opinions are a part of the TRIS process. The Government’s position remains that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will apply in Northern Ireland and is consistent with both our domestic and international obligations.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what specific plans they have to introduce legislation on the prescription of puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria issues, and whether they plan to address the issue of such drugs being brought into England from Northern Ireland using prescriptions by private providers, and from other jurisdictions.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is inclined to renew the emergency banning order on puberty blockers with a view to converting it to a permanent ban, subject to appropriate consultation.
Human medicines and healthcare are transferred matters in respect of Northern Ireland. We are engaging with the Northern Ireland Executive, including on whether the ban should apply across the United Kingdom. We are committed to providing young people with holistic care, in line with the recommendations of the Cass Review.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the EU's decision to prohibit the use and export of dental amalgam by 1 January 2025 on dentistry in Northern Ireland due to the Windsor Framework and Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The explanatory memorandum (EM) for European Union (EU) mercury products legislation COM(23)395 and C(23)4683, was published on 1 November 2023. The EM provides a summary of the proposal to amend EU regulation 2017/852 on the manufacture, import and export of mercury products. The Department of Health and Social Care is continuing to work with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland to assess all possible impacts of the decision.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of amendments to Article 1 (Definitions) and the proposed new Article 13A (WHO-led International Public Health Response) of the International Health Regulations of the World Health Organisation, designed to give the organisation's recommendations binding effect on member states during a public health emergency of international concern.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) are a key part of the global health security system to prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease. The Government continues to formulate positions during ongoing textual negotiations on the proposed amendments and continues to engage with other World Health Organization member states on the matter.
The Government has a strong commitment and duty to implement international law that it is subject to. However, the United Kingdom will not sign up to any measures that compromise the UK’s ability to take decisions on national measures concerning public health.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to proposing amendments to the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations (2005).
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) are a key part of the global health security system to prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease. The United Kingdom wants to ensure that countries’ obligations under the IHR remain fit for purpose and reflect lessons learned through the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to see stronger global commitment to effective disease surveillance, early reporting of potential health threats and transparency in sharing information. These issues are already on the table and form part of the multilateral discussions on amendments to the IHR. The UK continues to participate in the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005).