Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Food Standards Agency has had recent meetings with representatives of international peer regulators in relation to novel foods.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) regularly meets with its counterpart food safety regulators and discusses novel foods and food innovation.
In March 2022, the FSA’s Chief Executive participated in the third meeting of the International Heads of Food Agency Forum attended by food agency leaders and representatives of international food organisations. The meeting discussed new food sources and production systems and included novel food regulation. At working level, the FSA has participated in meetings with international peers, including with the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, Thailand, and Republic of Ireland.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Food Standards Agency approvals process for alternative proteins.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Foods Standards Agency (FSA) has committed to review the novel foods regulations. This will include identifying opportunities to streamline processes to support industry innovation, without detracting from the safeguards which support the United Kingdom’s food safety standards. The FSA is engaging with businesses, including the alternative proteins industry, on how the regulations could be improved.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Food Standards Agency approvals process for novel foods.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Foods Standards Agency (FSA) has committed to review the novel foods regulations. This will include identifying opportunities to streamline processes to support industry innovation, without detracting from the safeguards which support the United Kingdom’s food safety standards. The FSA is engaging with businesses, including the alternative proteins industry, on how the regulations could be improved.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to extend the obligation to provide calorie labelling on menus to catering venues with fewer than 250 employees.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Regulations on out-of-home calorie labelling for out of home food sold in large businesses of 250 or more employees, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways, came into force on 6 April 2022. We committed to review the policy within five years and will consider whether to extend the requirement to smaller businesses. We encourage smaller businesses to voluntarily comply with the calorie labelling requirements.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department assesses whether an area qualifies for a High Cost Area Supplement based on (a) travel to work area, (b) county council, (c) NHS commissioning authority or (d) another geographic basis.
Answered by Edward Argar
High cost area supplements are included in Section 4 of the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the National Health Service trade unions. Royston, Basildon, Harlow, Watford, Brentwood and Thurrock are all defined as fringe areas, therefore NHS staff working in these areas receive the fringe high cost area supplement at 5% of basic salary. Cambridgeshire is not defined as a zone for high cost area payments.
The high cost area zones are based on 2005 primary care trust geographical boundaries. It is open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements and on the value of such supplements. NHS employers or staff organisations in a specified geographic area can propose an increase in the level of high cost area supplement for staff in that area, or in the case of areas where no supplement exists, to introduce a supplement.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) methodology and (b) data his Department uses to determine whether an administrative region qualifies for a High Cost Area Supplement.
Answered by Edward Argar
High cost area supplements are included in Section 4 of the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the National Health Service trade unions. Royston, Basildon, Harlow, Watford, Brentwood and Thurrock are all defined as fringe areas, therefore NHS staff working in these areas receive the fringe high cost area supplement at 5% of basic salary. Cambridgeshire is not defined as a zone for high cost area payments.
The high cost area zones are based on 2005 primary care trust geographical boundaries. It is open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements and on the value of such supplements. NHS employers or staff organisations in a specified geographic area can propose an increase in the level of high cost area supplement for staff in that area, or in the case of areas where no supplement exists, to introduce a supplement.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how often his Department reviews which administrative regions qualify for High Cost Area Supplements.
Answered by Edward Argar
High cost area supplements are included in Section 4 of the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the National Health Service trade unions. Royston, Basildon, Harlow, Watford, Brentwood and Thurrock are all defined as fringe areas, therefore NHS staff working in these areas receive the fringe high cost area supplement at 5% of basic salary. Cambridgeshire is not defined as a zone for high cost area payments.
The high cost area zones are based on 2005 primary care trust geographical boundaries. It is open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements and on the value of such supplements. NHS employers or staff organisations in a specified geographic area can propose an increase in the level of high cost area supplement for staff in that area, or in the case of areas where no supplement exists, to introduce a supplement.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which categories of NHS staff in administrative areas that qualify for the Fringe High Cost Area Supplement receive an uplift.
Answered by Edward Argar
High cost area supplements are included in Section 4 of the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the National Health Service trade unions. Royston, Basildon, Harlow, Watford, Brentwood and Thurrock are all defined as fringe areas, therefore NHS staff working in these areas receive the fringe high cost area supplement at 5% of basic salary. Cambridgeshire is not defined as a zone for high cost area payments.
The high cost area zones are based on 2005 primary care trust geographical boundaries. It is open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements and on the value of such supplements. NHS employers or staff organisations in a specified geographic area can propose an increase in the level of high cost area supplement for staff in that area, or in the case of areas where no supplement exists, to introduce a supplement.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will confirm that NHS staff in Cambridgeshire do not receive any level of the High Cost Area Supplement.
Answered by Edward Argar
High cost area supplements are included in Section 4 of the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the National Health Service trade unions. Royston, Basildon, Harlow, Watford, Brentwood and Thurrock are all defined as fringe areas, therefore NHS staff working in these areas receive the fringe high cost area supplement at 5% of basic salary. Cambridgeshire is not defined as a zone for high cost area payments.
The high cost area zones are based on 2005 primary care trust geographical boundaries. It is open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements and on the value of such supplements. NHS employers or staff organisations in a specified geographic area can propose an increase in the level of high cost area supplement for staff in that area, or in the case of areas where no supplement exists, to introduce a supplement.