Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department uses Office for National Statistics estimates of personal well-being in formulating policy; and what policies her Department has introduced to improve personal well-being in the last 12 months.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Wellbeing indicators are used to inform DWP policy. For example, within the programme of work and health trials being delivered by the joint DWP/DHSC Work and Health Unit, ONS measures of wellbeing are being collected alongside health and employment outcomes to inform future policy development. Within the data pack that informed the 2016 Work, Health and Disability Green Paper, the relationship between employment status and wellbeing was considered.
In addition, specific DWP initiatives are designed to help promote citizen wellbeing. For example, in 2019, the Department launched the `Mid-life MOTs’ online portal to encourage more active planning in the key areas of work, wellbeing and finances.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department uses Office for National Statistics estimates of personal wellbeing in formulating policy; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve personal well-being in the last 12 months.
Answered by Jake Berry
We use Office for National Statistics (ONS) wellbeing statistics to inform Health and Wellbeing policy within the Civil Service. The Department also measures personal wellbeing through the annual Civil Service People Survey using the same national statistics that the ONS use for the UK population as a whole.
The four personal well-being questions are: Life Satisfaction, Worthwhile, Happiness, and Anxiety. Further details can be found at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/measuringnationalwellbeing/july2017tojune2018.
We make use of a wide range of data and evidence in developing our policies, including data sources which focus on well-being. This includes the above estimates of personal wellbeing, as well as our own surveys and data collection tools which include questions and data which are highly relevant to the well being agenda such as the English Housing Survey and English Indices of Deprivation. We also continue to use and support the development of the wider evidence base on well-being, as we are one of the HMG funders of the What Works Centre for Wellbeing.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department uses Office for National Statistics estimates of personal well-being in formulating policy; and what policies her department has introduced to improve personal well-being in the last 12 months.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Office for National Statistics (ONS) wellbeing statistics inform Health and Wellbeing policy across the Civil Service. DCMS measures personal wellbeing through the annual Civil Service People Survey using the same national statistics that the ONS use for the UK population as a whole. The four personal wellbeing questions are: Life Satisfaction, Worthwhile, Happiness, and Anxiety. Further details can be found here. Findings from the survey are used to inform our HR policies and support services. No new policies have been introduced in the last 12 months, but we have focused on improving the wellbeing support and services available to staff. This includes:
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the cost to the UK Veterinary Medicines Directorate of taking on regulatory functions currently undertaken by the EU.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
There will be no change to the cost to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) for taking on the regulatory functions currently undertaken by the EU. This is due to the VMD being a full cost recovery agency and these regulatory functions are paid for by the veterinary pharmaceutical industry through the charges made on applications submitted.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the duration of recognition of certifications by a qualified person for batch release of medicinal products for human and veterinary use in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The unilateral recognition of the results of batch tests carried out in the EU/EEA by the UK will be time limited. We are not currently able to give a definite timeframe because it is closely linked to the wider negotiations.
We are aware of the potential impact of this issue on industry and any changes to the unilateral recognition will be communicated as soon as we are able.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many mutual recognition agreements for professional qualifications (a) the UK has signed with EU member states and (b) plans to sign by 31 October 2019.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Government has encouraged UK and EU regulators to sign mutual recognition agreements that provide routes for recognition for qualifications of UK and EU professionals in the event of leaving the EU without a deal. This will ensure UK professionals are able to practise in other parties’ jurisdictions.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the taxpayer of the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency taking on regulatory functions carried out by EU regulatory bodies when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
As a Government trading fund, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is funded mostly by income from fee-charging activities. In 2018/19 income from fee-generating activities was £124.0 million and income from the sponsoring the Department was £34.6 million. The Agency’s income from trading activities has reduced compared to previous years as a result of the United Kingdom preparations to exit the European Union, which has led to a reduction in revenue from centralised (European Medical Agency-managed) as well as decentralised (EU-member states led) licence applications.
In addition, the MHRA is incurring costs to prepare for ‘no deal’ and transition to a stand-alone regulator. The Department has provided support via transitional funding (£6 million in 2018/19 and a further commitment of £11 million in 2019/20) and £1.6 million targeted ‘no deal’ funding towards decoupling the MHRA IT Customer Portal.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of UK regulators taking on regulatory functions currently carried out by EU regulatory bodies when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Government’s priority is to have effective regulatory systems. Where an EU regulatory function is repatriated then in most cases this will be undertaken by an existing regulatory body. The National Audit Office considers that there are 90 regulators operating in the UK. ‘Managing Public Money’ sets out when fees and charges may be levied by a public body for a function, or whether a function can be Exchequer-funded. Where legislation is required to repatriate functions, further information may be found in the relevant impact assessment or explanatory memorandum.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the cost to the Civil Aviation Authority of taking on functions currently performed by the European Aviation Safety Agency after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The CAA spent £2.7 million on Brexit preparations in 2018/19 and expects to spend up to £1.6 million during 2019/20. It has recruited around 50 additional FTEs in preparation for Brexit. The UK is seeking continued close cooperative arrangements with the EU on aviation safety as part of an ambitious and comprehensive future relationship after exit. This will help minimise regulatory burdens for UK and EU industry and maintain safety standards across Europe.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the capacity of the veterinary industry to deal with increased demand for Export Health Certificates in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We recognise there will be an increased demand for Export Health Certificates (EHCs) in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Our aim has been to support the market in meeting likely demand by increasing the number of trained Official Veterinarians (OVs) by providing free certification training.
The number of trained OVs has increased from around 600 in February 2019 to more than 1000 currently, there are around 250 who have registered but not yet completed this training. We have been contacting this group, encouraging them to complete the training as soon as possible.
In Great Britain, OVs operate in the private sector and over time we would expect the market to match supply and demand. Understanding what this means for certifying capacity is difficult as we cannot know how many hours a week these OVs will spend on certifying exports and to what extent their availability will respond to price incentives.
To support Local Authority Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and Official Veterinarians, we have created a Certification Support Officer (CSO) role and funded training. CSOs will handle a number of preparatory and administrative aspects of EHCs (checking documents, identifying products or sealing containers), freeing up EHO or OV time and capacity to provide the final assurance required. To date, in GB, we have 70 authorised CSOs.
EHCs for fish and fish products are primarily certified by Local Authority EHOs and OVs mainly certify EHCs for Animals and Products of Animal Origin (POAO).