Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Food Data Transparency Partnership’s decision not to make reporting on health data mandatory, what steps they are taking to ensure enforcement of and consistency in the voluntary scheme.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Data Transparency Partnership’s (FDTP) Health Working Group (HWG) has been testing the effectiveness and quality of potential standardised metrics that food and drink companies can use to report on the healthiness of their sales. This is an important part of government’s strategy to address poor diet and reduce obesity and was restated in the Major Conditions Strategy interim report August 2023.
Once a recommended set of metrics and reporting guidance has been produced and approved by Ministers, the expectation is that businesses who voluntarily report will all follow this standardised approach.
A key commitment of the HWG is timely and transparent communication so that wider food sector stakeholders can input into each stage of the process in order to ensure recommendations around comparability and enforcement will be as viable and effective as possible. Alongside engagement with industry, the FDTP also regularly engages civil society organisations and investor groups to gather and integrate wider feedback into discussions. Summaries of these HWG discussions are published online on the FDTP GOV.UK page.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle diet-related ill-health, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We remain committed to promoting a healthy diet for adults and children and are delivering an ambitious programme of work to create a healthier environment to help people make healthy food choices to improve health and to tackle diet related ill health. There are a range of measures in place to support improving diets, promoting physical activity and reducing obesity.
Regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of products high in fat, sugar or salt in key selling locations, came into force on 1 October 2022. We will be implementing restrictions on the sale of less healthy products by volume price such as ‘3 for 2’ and will introduce restrictions on the advertising of less healthy products before 9pm on TV and paid for less healthy product advertising online from 1 October 2025.
We are working with the food industry to make further progress on reformulation and ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices. The Food Data Transparency Partnership will help enable and encourage food companies to voluntarily demonstrate progress on the healthiness of their sales.
The Government continues to promote the Eatwell Guide principles through the NHS.UK website and government social marketing campaigns such as Better Health Healthier Families and Start for Life. We are also supporting more than three million children through the Healthy Foods Schemes and helping schools boost physical activity to help children maintain a healthy weight and good overall health through the Primary School PE and Sport Premium and the School Games Organiser Network.
We are continuing to support local authorities to improve the uptake of the NHS Health Check, England's cardiovascular disease prevention programme. The NHS Health Check helps to prevent a range of conditions including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Each year the programme engages over 1 million people and prevents around 400 heart attacks or strokes.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Women's Lives, Women's Rights: Strengthening Access to Contraception Beyond the Pandemic, published on 10 September, what plans they have to use primary care networks to provide opportunities to train the workforce in contraceptive care.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health’s report, Women's Lives, Women's Rights: Strengthening Access to Contraception Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic, has raised a number of important issues. The recommendations, including those relating to the workforce, will be considered as part of our upcoming work to develop the sexual and reproductive health strategy.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average waiting time for a woman accessing long-acting reversible contraception.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The average waiting time for a woman accessing long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is not collected centrally. Data on restricted access to long-acting reversible contraception due to the COVID-19 pandemic in general practitioner surgeries and community sexual health clinics is also not currently available centrally.
The provision of LARC services is particularly challenging currently due to access not being possible remotely.
The Department is working with Public Health England and others to reduce waiting lists and backlogs that have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare have also published clinical advice to support ongoing provision of effective contraception which health professionals should work to.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) GP surgeries, and (2) community sexual health clinics, offering contraceptive services across England have restricted access to long-acting reversible contraception due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The average waiting time for a woman accessing long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is not collected centrally. Data on restricted access to long-acting reversible contraception due to the COVID-19 pandemic in general practitioner surgeries and community sexual health clinics is also not currently available centrally.
The provision of LARC services is particularly challenging currently due to access not being possible remotely.
The Department is working with Public Health England and others to reduce waiting lists and backlogs that have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare have also published clinical advice to support ongoing provision of effective contraception which health professionals should work to.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) sexual and reproductive health and rights, and (2) female genital mutilation support, services exist for women with complications resulting from female genital mutilation in the UK.
Answered by Lord Bethell
National Health Service referral pathways are in place locally to respond to the physical, mental and sexual health needs of women and girls who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) through maternity and specialist paediatric services. Non-pregnant women over 18 can access a new pilot of eight FGM support clinics launched in September 2019 which provide a range of services, including deinfibulation if required.
Commissioning of FGM services is informed by NHS Digital’s FGM enhanced dataset.
Local authorities in England are mandated to commission comprehensive open access sexual health services for people present in their area based on an assessment of local need.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for expanding the provision of (1) sexual and reproductive health and rights, and (2) female genital mutilation support, services in the UK to support women and girls.
Answered by Lord Bethell
National Health Service referral pathways are in place locally to respond to the physical, mental and sexual health needs of women and girls who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) through maternity and specialist paediatric services. Non-pregnant women over 18 can access a new pilot of eight FGM support clinics launched in September 2019 which provide a range of services, including deinfibulation if required.
Commissioning of FGM services is informed by NHS Digital’s FGM enhanced dataset.
Local authorities in England are mandated to commission comprehensive open access sexual health services for people present in their area based on an assessment of local need.