Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 December 2022 on Health Update, HCWS 433, what her planned timetable is for completion of the steps required to implement the introduction of further advertising restrictions on TV and online for less healthy food and drink products; and when she plans to bring forward proposals for the necessary secondary legislation.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 1 October 2025, the Government will introduce a United Kingdom-wide 9:00pm television watershed for the advertising of less healthy products, and a restriction of paid-for advertising of these products online. The Government and regulators are working through the necessary steps to implement and enforce the regulations. These steps include consulting, finalising guidance, and laying regulations.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will hold discussions with the (a) Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, (b) Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, (c) Royal College of Occupational Therapists and (d) British Association for Community Child Health on waiting times for community services.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Addressing waiting lists is a priority for the Department and the National Health Service, and NHS England has asked local systems to develop and agree plans for reducing their community services waiting lists.
I am planning to meet with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, Royal College of Occupational Therapists and British Association for Community Child Health to discuss waiting times for community services.
Community Health Service Data is published monthly and can be found here Statistics » Community Health Services Waiting Lists (england.nhs.uk)
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide additional funding for social enterprises delivering NHS services.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government greatly appreciates the role of social enterprises in delivering National Health Service services. Social enterprises will have existing contracts with Integrated Care Boards in their local area or with NHS England. These contracts are based on local contracting arrangements and therefore the Government does not anticipate uplifting contracts in-year beyond the existing guidance that NHS England has produced for the ‘2023/24 pay award: revenue finance and contracting guidance’. This guidance is available at the following link:
The Department has been considering its position regarding the 2022/23 non-consolidated funding, which has required significant and detailed legal consideration and will reach a conclusion in due course.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 halve child obesity by 2030; and what assessment he has made of the impact the postponing the introduction of the watershed of 9.00pm for television advertisements for food high in fat, salt and sugar will have on meeting that goal.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
New Regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Regulations restricting the placement of products high in fat, salt or sugar came into force in October 2022. We are also working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices and make further progress on reformulation.
In addition, we are 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 Physical Education (PE) and Sport Premium and the School Games Organiser Network.
A full impact assessment for advertising restrictions was published in June 2021 providing detail on the expected impact of the restrictions. We do not expect a short-term delay to the implementation to have a significant impact on the substantial benefits in the longer term.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 potential merits of increasing the speed of the implementation of restrictions on advertising of unhealthy foods.
Answered by Maggie Throup
We have announced a delay to the implementation of the introduction of further restrictions on advertising of high fat, salt or sugar products on TV and paid for advertising online. This is due to the delay in the Health and Care Act 2022 receiving Royal Assent and the recognition that the industry needs more time to prepare for the restrictions.
However, the advertising restrictions have now been introduced with a delay in implementation. This will ensure we can address the long-term challenge of obesity, while recognising the unprecedented global economic situation and ensuring the effective implementation of these restrictions.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 help protect the public's health from air pollution ahead of Clean Air Day 2022.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Government is currently consulting on two long-term targets for fine particulate matter under the Environment Act 2021. In addition, the Chief Medical Officer for England’s 2022 annual report will focus on air pollution, evidence for potential solutions to reduce the public health impacts and will offer recommendations based on this evidence. The report is due to be published in the summer.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures are in place for the NHS to collect clinical data and record injuries and deaths of children resulting from the ingestion of button batteries in the UK.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The NHS England commissioned National Child Mortality Database Programme collects information on all live-born children resident in England who die before their 18th birthday, which includes information on deaths resulting from the ingestion of button batteries.
For injuries caused by ingestion of button batteries, the Emergency Care Data Set (ECDS) includes relevant codes that enable us to identify where children have attended accident and emergency having ingested button batteries. However, the ECDS is a new data set therefore NHS Digital would require an assessment and validation of these codes.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of prioritising (a) teachers, (b) refuse collectors and (c) all key workers for the covid-19 vaccine after the existing priority groups have been vaccinated.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccines the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level. For the first phase, the JCVI has advised that the vaccine be given to care home residents and staff, as well as frontline health and social care workers, then to the rest of the population over 50 years old, in order of age and including some younger people with particular clinical risk factors.
Prioritisation decisions for next phase delivery are subject to of the surveillance and monitoring data and information from phase one, as well as further input from independent scientific experts such as the JCVI. Phase two may include further reduction in hospitalisation and targeted vaccination of those at high risk of exposure and/or those delivering key public services.