To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
NHS Trusts: Equality
Wednesday 20th March 2024

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Trusts employ people with responsibility for equality and diversity at director level.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold this information centrally. It is the responsibility of National Health Service organisations to determine the number of equality, diversity and inclusion roles based on need.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion roles support local NHS organisations in meeting the legal requirements set out for public bodies such as the NHS in the Equality Act 2010, and our public sector equality duty. These cover not just race, ethnicity, or nationality, but also, disability, sexual orientation, gender, faith, and other protected characteristics.

They promote the fair treatment of staff by ensuring there is a particular focus on tackling the discrimination that some staff face in the workplace. They also support retention and attraction of staff, with the aim of making the NHS the best place to work. In addition, these roles work to extend careers by creating inclusive workplaces, safeguarding investment made in training and educating doctors and nurses.


Written Question
Slaughterhouses: Registration
Wednesday 20th March 2024

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many slaughterhouses were registered with the Food Standards Agency in 2023.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency has regulatory responsibility for approving slaughterhouses in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. During 2023, the agency approved two new slaughterhouses. The number of approved slaughterhouses at the end of 2023 was 243.


Written Question
Food: Hygiene
Monday 11th March 2024

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department holds data on the number of (a) establishments that received food hygiene inspections in 2023 and (b) ratings that were issued by each category defined by the Food Standards Agency.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency does not hold data on the number of establishments receiving a food hygiene inspection in 2023. However, the attached tables show the number of food hygiene interventions carried out by local authorities in each country, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, for the periods 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 and 1 April 2023 to 30 September 2023. This includes interventions other than inspections and audits, such as visits to monitor and verify the standards of food hygiene, visits to take samples, visits to give advice, or the assessment of documents provided by the food business. It also includes the number of food hygiene inspections and audits carried out by local authorities in each country, for the period 1 April 2023 to 30 September 2023.

Local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland issued 199,262 food hygiene ratings from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. The attached tables show the data for each country by each category of food establishment, and the aggregate totals for the three countries. A food establishment may have been subject to more than one intervention, or may have received more than one food hygiene rating during 2023.


Written Question
NHS: Protective Clothing
Friday 26th January 2024

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department investigated the alleged leaking of confidential information to companies bidding for PPE contracts in 2020.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

All offers to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including that from I Love Cosmetics Ltd for hand sanitiser, were evaluated by Departmental officials on the supplier’s financial standing, compliance with minimum product, service and technical specifications and ability to perform the contract. Contracts were awarded by the appropriate Departmental accounting officer in line with the Department’s standard terms and conditions.

The Department is not aware of any allegations regarding the leaking of confidential information to companies offering to supply PPE.


Written Question
NHS: Protective Clothing
Friday 26th January 2024

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment criteria her Department used when awarding a contract for supply of PPE to ILC UK Ltd in 2020.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

All offers to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including that from I Love Cosmetics Ltd for hand sanitiser, were evaluated by Departmental officials on the supplier’s financial standing, compliance with minimum product, service and technical specifications and ability to perform the contract. Contracts were awarded by the appropriate Departmental accounting officer in line with the Department’s standard terms and conditions.

The Department is not aware of any allegations regarding the leaking of confidential information to companies offering to supply PPE.


Written Question
World Health Organization
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much from the public purse the Government spent on the UK's membership subscription to the World Health Organization in 2023.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The United Kingdom and all Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) pay an annual membership fee known as an assessed contribution. The scale of the contribution is calculated by the United Nations based mainly on the country’s GDP and the contribution is used to fund the WHO’s functions. In 2023, the UK paid £20,241,404 in assessed contributions.


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation, published on 8 November 2023, whether it is her policy to include vaping products in these proposals.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Smoking is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes approximately one in four cancer deaths. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service. That is why we will introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in this parliamentary session to create the first smokefree generation and crack down on youth vaping


In October 2023, the Government and devolved administrations launched a public consultation on the smokefree generation and youth vaping. For the smokefree generation policy, where tobacco products would not be sold to those who turned 15 years old or younger this year, the consultation included a question on whether respondents agreed with the proposed approach to mirror the existing age of sale legislation in England and Wales. This included:

- cigarettes;

- cigarette papers;

- hand rolled tobacco;

- cigars;

- cigarillos;

- pipe tobacco;

- waterpipe tobacco products, for example, shisha;

- chewing tobacco;

- heated tobacco;

- nasal tobacco; and

- herbal smoking products.

The consultation response will be published shortly


As outlined in command paper published on 4 October 2023, our position is that all tobacco products are harmful, and the evidence is clear that there is no safe level of tobacco consumption. Tobacco smoke from shisha and cigars lead to the same types of diseases as cigarette smoke. Snus is banned in the UK and we have no plans to introduce additional tobacco products to the UK market.

Vapes are tobacco-free so outside the proposed scope of the smokefree generation policy. In our consultation, we asked questions about policies which have the potential to reduce the appeal, availability, and affordability of vaping to children. It is clear that vaping is totally unsuitable for children. However, we want to ensure that vapes remain available as a smoking cessation tool for adult smokers given the lesser harms posed to smokers from vaping.


Written Question
Smoking
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation, published on 8 November 2023, whether it is her policy to include shisha-based products in these proposals.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Smoking is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes approximately one in four cancer deaths. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service. That is why we will introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in this parliamentary session to create the first smokefree generation and crack down on youth vaping


In October 2023, the Government and devolved administrations launched a public consultation on the smokefree generation and youth vaping. For the smokefree generation policy, where tobacco products would not be sold to those who turned 15 years old or younger this year, the consultation included a question on whether respondents agreed with the proposed approach to mirror the existing age of sale legislation in England and Wales. This included:

- cigarettes;

- cigarette papers;

- hand rolled tobacco;

- cigars;

- cigarillos;

- pipe tobacco;

- waterpipe tobacco products, for example, shisha;

- chewing tobacco;

- heated tobacco;

- nasal tobacco; and

- herbal smoking products.

The consultation response will be published shortly


As outlined in command paper published on 4 October 2023, our position is that all tobacco products are harmful, and the evidence is clear that there is no safe level of tobacco consumption. Tobacco smoke from shisha and cigars lead to the same types of diseases as cigarette smoke. Snus is banned in the UK and we have no plans to introduce additional tobacco products to the UK market.

Vapes are tobacco-free so outside the proposed scope of the smokefree generation policy. In our consultation, we asked questions about policies which have the potential to reduce the appeal, availability, and affordability of vaping to children. It is clear that vaping is totally unsuitable for children. However, we want to ensure that vapes remain available as a smoking cessation tool for adult smokers given the lesser harms posed to smokers from vaping.


Written Question
Oral Tobacco
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation, published on 8 November 2023, whether it is her policy to include snus tobacco products in these proposals.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Smoking is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes approximately one in four cancer deaths. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service. That is why we will introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in this parliamentary session to create the first smokefree generation and crack down on youth vaping


In October 2023, the Government and devolved administrations launched a public consultation on the smokefree generation and youth vaping. For the smokefree generation policy, where tobacco products would not be sold to those who turned 15 years old or younger this year, the consultation included a question on whether respondents agreed with the proposed approach to mirror the existing age of sale legislation in England and Wales. This included:

- cigarettes;

- cigarette papers;

- hand rolled tobacco;

- cigars;

- cigarillos;

- pipe tobacco;

- waterpipe tobacco products, for example, shisha;

- chewing tobacco;

- heated tobacco;

- nasal tobacco; and

- herbal smoking products.

The consultation response will be published shortly


As outlined in command paper published on 4 October 2023, our position is that all tobacco products are harmful, and the evidence is clear that there is no safe level of tobacco consumption. Tobacco smoke from shisha and cigars lead to the same types of diseases as cigarette smoke. Snus is banned in the UK and we have no plans to introduce additional tobacco products to the UK market.

Vapes are tobacco-free so outside the proposed scope of the smokefree generation policy. In our consultation, we asked questions about policies which have the potential to reduce the appeal, availability, and affordability of vaping to children. It is clear that vaping is totally unsuitable for children. However, we want to ensure that vapes remain available as a smoking cessation tool for adult smokers given the lesser harms posed to smokers from vaping.


Written Question
Snuff
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation, published on 8 November 2023, whether it is her policy to include snuff tobacco products in these proposals.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Smoking is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes approximately one in four cancer deaths. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service. That is why we will introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in this parliamentary session to create the first smokefree generation and crack down on youth vaping


In October 2023, the Government and devolved administrations launched a public consultation on the smokefree generation and youth vaping. For the smokefree generation policy, where tobacco products would not be sold to those who turned 15 years old or younger this year, the consultation included a question on whether respondents agreed with the proposed approach to mirror the existing age of sale legislation in England and Wales. This included:

- cigarettes;

- cigarette papers;

- hand rolled tobacco;

- cigars;

- cigarillos;

- pipe tobacco;

- waterpipe tobacco products, for example, shisha;

- chewing tobacco;

- heated tobacco;

- nasal tobacco; and

- herbal smoking products.

The consultation response will be published shortly


As outlined in command paper published on 4 October 2023, our position is that all tobacco products are harmful, and the evidence is clear that there is no safe level of tobacco consumption. Tobacco smoke from shisha and cigars lead to the same types of diseases as cigarette smoke. Snus is banned in the UK and we have no plans to introduce additional tobacco products to the UK market.

Vapes are tobacco-free so outside the proposed scope of the smokefree generation policy. In our consultation, we asked questions about policies which have the potential to reduce the appeal, availability, and affordability of vaping to children. It is clear that vaping is totally unsuitable for children. However, we want to ensure that vapes remain available as a smoking cessation tool for adult smokers given the lesser harms posed to smokers from vaping.