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Written Question
Health Services
Wednesday 19th April 2023

Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the accessibility of specialist medical services outside of London.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not directly decide the locations from which specialised services are provided on the National Health Service. NHS England is responsible for commissioning services which are prescribed as specialised services in legislation to meet the health needs of people across England. Other medical services are commissioned by one of 42 integrated care boards, or if relevant, by local authorities, for their relevant populations across England.


Written Question
Drugs: Animal Products
Monday 19th December 2022

Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)

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 impact animal-based products in medications have on the treatment options for (a) vegetarians and (b) vegans; and if he will take steps to require the switching from animal to plant-based alternatives to non-active ingredients within medicines wherever viable on new products.

Answered by Will Quince

The requirements for the information which must appear on medicines labelling is set out in Part 13 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The primary purpose of the label is to unambiguously identify the medicine and to convey warnings in relation to safe and effective use of the product. There is no legal requirement for a pharmaceutical manufacturer to state whether a particular medicine contains animal-derived ingredients, as this does not convey warnings on the safety of the medicine.

However, the legislation allows for the inclusion of a statement such as ‘suitable for vegetarians/vegans’ where a company can provide evidence to demonstrate that no products of animal origin have been used in the manufacture of the ingredients or the medicine. Where a company proposes to include such a statement on the labelling or in the patient information leaflet, the Medicines and Healthcare products regulatory Agency will evaluate the evidence to determine the validity. Medicines are developed to treat or prevent particular medical conditions or symptoms and are licensed on the basis of quality, safety and efficacy. Although there are many medicines free from animal derived materials, no animal-free treatment options exist as the active ingredient cannot be made synthetically or animal derived materials are necessary for the formulation or manufacture of the product. As technology advances, we expect that more non-animal materials will become available.


Written Question
Drugs: Animal Products
Monday 19th December 2022

Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps towards mandatory labelling of animal-derived ingredients in medicines in the context of patients with specific dietary needs.

Answered by Will Quince

The requirements for the information which must appear on medicines labelling is set out in Part 13 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The primary purpose of the label is to unambiguously identify the medicine and to convey warnings in relation to safe and effective use of the product. There is no legal requirement for a pharmaceutical manufacturer to state whether a particular medicine contains animal-derived ingredients, as this does not convey warnings on the safety of the medicine.

However, the legislation allows for the inclusion of a statement such as ‘suitable for vegetarians/vegans’ where a company can provide evidence to demonstrate that no products of animal origin have been used in the manufacture of the ingredients or the medicine. Where a company proposes to include such a statement on the labelling or in the patient information leaflet, the Medicines and Healthcare products regulatory Agency will evaluate the evidence to determine the validity. Medicines are developed to treat or prevent particular medical conditions or symptoms and are licensed on the basis of quality, safety and efficacy. Although there are many medicines free from animal derived materials, no animal-free treatment options exist as the active ingredient cannot be made synthetically or animal derived materials are necessary for the formulation or manufacture of the product. As technology advances, we expect that more non-animal materials will become available.


Written Question
Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards
Tuesday 8th November 2022

Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research his Department is conducting on electromagnetic hypersensitivity and the impact of wireless networks on the health of people with that condition.

Answered by Will Quince

The Department commissions research on non-ionising radiation through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the UK Health Security Agency. While the NIHR is not currently supporting specific research on electromagnetic hypersensitivity, it continues to fund research on the health effects of non-ionising radiation, including wireless networks. This includes COSMOS, the ongoing international study of mobile phone use and health in adults; and SCAMP, the study of behaviour and health effects of mobile phone use in adolescents at Imperial College London.


Written Question
Healthy Start Scheme
Wednesday 28th April 2021

Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out his timetable for the roll-out of a digital pre-paid card scheme to replace paper Healthy Start Vouchers.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The NHS Business Services Authority are leading the work to digitise the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department to facilitate families to apply for, receive and use Healthy Start benefits. The NHS Business Service Authority will provide all new users applying to the digital scheme and all existing users every opportunity to transition to pre-paid cards by 31 October 2021.


Written Question
Healthy Start Scheme
Wednesday 28th April 2021

Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what pilots are currently underway in connection with the Government's plans to replace paper Healthy Start Vouchers with digital cards.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The NHS Business Services Authority is leading the work to digitise the Healthy Start scheme, on behalf of Department, to make it easier for families to apply for, receive and use Healthy Start benefits.

The NHS Business Services Authority is running a private pilot in Tower Hamlets. This group will be the first to transition to digital pre-paid cards.


Written Question
Healthy Start Scheme
Tuesday 27th April 2021

Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of how much the Government has spent on external consultants in connection with the development of a digital card scheme to replace paper Healthy Start Vouchers.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department spent £1,909,149 (excluding VAT) on external consultants in developing a digital card scheme to replace paper Healthy Start Vouchers.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Monday 15th February 2021

Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Green Book COVID vaccine schedule in Chapter 14a, whether it is Government policy that frontline funeral operatives and mortuary technicians are frontline healthcare staff, as recommended in the recommendations by staff groups, and relevant to Priority Group 2 as advised by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

Answered by Nadhim Zahawi

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) identified that the vaccination of frontline healthcare workers should be a priority for the COVID-19 vaccination programme. Frontline staff are at high risk of acquiring COVID-19 infection but also of transmitting that infection to multiple persons who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 as well as to other staff in a healthcare environment.

Funeral operatives have been prioritised for vaccination in cohort two and staff will be eligible for prioritisation if they carry out functions which require them to have contact with multiple vulnerable patients in a healthcare setting and at a high risk of exposure to COVID-19.


Written Question
Department of Health and Social Care: Disease Control
Monday 9th November 2020

Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a Minister for Infection Management.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Lord Bethell of Romford is the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for health protection and antimicrobial resistance. Infection prevention and control measures, healthcare associated infections, and use of antimicrobials are covered within this remit.


Written Question
Infectious Diseases: Disease Control
Monday 9th November 2020

Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Department has made of the potential merits of developing a holistic and whole-system approach to antimicrobial resistance, sepsis and infection prevention.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The United Kingdom’s five-year national action plan for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) takes a holistic and comprehensive approach across humans, animals, agriculture, the environment and food.

The national action plan includes a strengthened focus on infection prevention and control, with commitments to cut the number of resistant infections by 10% by 2025 and to halve levels of healthcare associated Gram-negative blood stream infections by 2023-2024.

It is critical that our work on sepsis and AMR is closely aligned. Sepsis forms an important part of NHS England and NHS Improvement’s AMR Programme, which continues to drive improvements in the prevention and management of infections and optimal antimicrobial use.