Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) official veterinarians and (b) meat hygiene inspectors there were as of 1 December 2024.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
As of 1 December 2024, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and their Service Delivery Partner between them employed 282 Official Veterinarians (OVs) and 596 Meat Hygiene Inspectors / Official Auxiliaries, as well as 12 Trainee Official Auxiliaries.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government have policy responsibility for animal welfare controls within approved slaughterhouses. Application of the controls is carried out by the FSA in England and Wales under a Service Level Agreement with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government.
FSA OVs that are based in approved slaughterhouses during operating periods monitor animal welfare. Animal Welfare checks are incorporated into the OVs daily Official Controls duties and are conducted at unloading, at ante mortem i.e. pre-slaughter, and during the slaughter operations for all animals being processed.
The FSA is responsible for enforcement of breaches of animal welfare legislation by the slaughterhouse operator or their operatives. In 2024, there were 190 slaughterhouse non-compliance cases in which FSA took enforcement action.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government have policy responsibility for animal welfare controls on farm or during transportation. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Local Authority (LA) animal welfare teams are responsible for enforcement. Where checks by the OV at the slaughterhouse identify farm and transport breaches, they are referred to APHA and the LA. In 2024, there were 4,210 farm and transport non-compliance cases that FSA OVs referred to APHA and LAs to investigate and enforce.
Application of animal welfare controls at slaughterhouses are carried out by the FSA in England and Wales under a Service Level Agreement with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government.
Monitoring and reporting requirements are built into the Service Level Agreement between the FSA, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government to provide assurance on the adequacy of animal welfare at abattoirs. This includes monthly reporting of all non-compliance cases, additional welfare assurance checks conducted by a specifically trained team of Meat Hygiene Inspectors, annual animal welfare themed audits undertaken by veterinary auditors, and biennial slaughter sector surveys. This reporting is supplemented by regular liaison over operational issues and formal quarterly review meetings.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to change meat inspection charges from April 2026.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) charges operators to recover costs of meat inspection across its geographic remit of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The FSA conducts an annual review of inspection charges ahead of each financial year. Charges applicable from April 2026 will be determined by means of the next annual review and will be published in early 2026.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce the waiting list for people seeking treatment to relieve the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
We recognise that patients have been let down whilst they wait for the care they need, including within neurology services. The NHS Constitution sets out that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment. We will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments per week, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks.
At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with Parkinson’s disease, including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit. These initiatives aim to reduce variation and deliver care more equitably across the country.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance, Parkinson’s disease: Diagnosis and management in primary and secondary care, updated in 2017, sets out best practice for clinicians in the identification and treatment of Parkinson’s, in line with the latest available evidence. The guidance states that if Parkinson's is suspected, people should be referred quickly to a specialist with expertise in the differential diagnosis of this condition.
We expect integrated care boards (ICBs) and National Health Service trusts to have due regard to relevant NICE guidelines. It is the responsibility of ICBs to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, in line with these NICE guidelines.
Once diagnosed, and with a management strategy in place, most people with Parkinson’s can be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care. NHS England commissions the specialised elements of Parkinson’s care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurological treatment centres across England. Within specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals, including Parkinson’s disease nurses, psychologists, and allied health professionals such as dieticians and speech and language therapists, and that they can receive specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to recruit more dentists in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions.
Integrated care boards have started to advertise posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most, for three years.
To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.