Asked by: Mary Creagh (Labour - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many food standards samples were submitted to each local authority's appointed public analyst in each of the last five years; how many of those samples submitted were taken as part of a Food Standards Agency funded co-ordinated sampling programme in each authority; and how many of those samples were paid for by the local authority.
Answered by Steve Brine
Sampling and surveillance of food is an essential part of an overall approach to protecting public health. Public Analyst Laboratories have an essential part to play in this. The numbers of samples submitted to each Public Analyst Laboratory, as reported by local authorities on the UK Food Surveillance System (UKFSS) can be seen in the tables below.
2016/17 | |
Public Analyst Lab | Number of samples |
Minton/Worcester shared code | 339 |
Public Analyst Lab, Stafford | 403 |
Public Analyst Lab, Hampshire | 814 |
Public Analyst Lab, Lancashire | 868 |
Public Analyst, Kent | 1,415 |
Public Analyst, London | 596 |
Public Analyst, Minton | 742 |
Public Analyst, Northern Ireland | 2 |
Public Analyst, Norwich | 1,162 |
Public Analyst, West Yorkshire | 910 |
Public Analyst, Wolverhampton | 5,308 |
Public Analyst, Worcester | 803 |
Grand Total | 13,362 |
2015/16 | |
Public Analyst Lab | Number of samples |
Minton/Worcester shared code | 2,095 |
Public Analyst Lab, Stafford | 409 |
Public Analyst Lab, Hampshire | 1,111 |
Public Analyst Lab, Lancashire | 1,311 |
Public Analyst, Kent | 1,600 |
Public Analyst, London | 1,020 |
Public Analyst, Minton | 1,165 |
Public Analyst, Northern Ireland | 1 |
Public Analyst, Norwich | 1,779 |
Public Analyst, West Yorkshire | 1,192 |
Public Analyst, Wolverhampton | 3,317 |
Public Analyst, Worcester | 1,252 |
Grand Total | 16,252 |
2014/15 | |
Public Analyst Lab | Number of samples |
Minton/Worcester shared code | 1,847 |
Public Analyst Lab, Stafford | 578 |
Public Analyst Lab, Hampshire | 1,210 |
Public Analyst Lab, Lancashire | 1,363 |
Public Analyst, Cardiff | 301 |
Public Analyst, Kent | 1,781 |
Public Analyst, London | 1,283 |
Public Analyst, Manchester | 5 |
Public Analyst, Minton | 1,137 |
Public Analyst, Northern Ireland | 28 |
Public Analyst, Norwich | 1,587 |
Public Analyst, West Yorkshire | 1,847 |
Public Analyst, Wolverhampton | 3,581 |
Public Analyst, Worcester | 1,276 |
Grand Total | 17,824 |
2013/14 | |
Public Analyst Lab | Number of samples |
Public Analyst Lab, Stafford | 883 |
Public Analyst Lab, Aberdeen | 810 |
Public Analyst Lab, Dundee | 654 |
Public Analyst Lab, Edinburgh | 1,465 |
Public Analyst Lab, Glasgow | 1,715 |
Public Analyst Lab, Hampshire | 1,338 |
Public Analyst Lab, Lancashire | 1,612 |
Public Analyst Lab, Somerset | 1 |
Public Analyst, Cardiff | 766 |
Public Analyst, Kent | 1,722 |
Public Analyst, London | 1,324 |
Public Analyst, Minton | 916 |
Public Analyst, Northern Ireland | 2,377 |
Public Analyst, Norwich | 1,468 |
Public Analyst, West Yorkshire | 2,575 |
Public Analyst, Wolverhampton | 3,460 |
Public Analyst, Worcester | 1,136 |
Grand Total | 24,222 |
|
|
Data from UKFSS indicates the following number and percentage of samples submitted that were taken as part of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) sampling plan in each of the last five years. Samples submitted not taken as part of the FSA sampling plan were funded by local authorities.
| No of samples taken as part of the FSA sampling programme |
2016/17 | 2,857 (21%) |
2015/16 | 5,205 (32%) |
2014/15 | 6,274 (35%) |
2013/14 | 7,154 (30%) |
2012/13 | 5,027 (12%) |
Asked by: Mary Creagh (Labour - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the top ten drugs bought by the NHS from EU countries were by (a) volume and (b) price.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Department does not hold this information.
Asked by: Mary Creagh (Labour - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many disposable coffee cups were purchased by his Department in each of the last five years.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Department does not purchase disposable coffee cups directly. The Department used single use disposable cups on its estate in the numbers in the table and cannot specify how many were specifically for hot drinks. The cups were served from the cafes and restaurants on its estate and purchased by its catering supplier. Information is not held prior to October 2014.
October 2014 to September 2015 | 332,540 |
October 2015 to September 2016 | 340,540 |
October 2016 to September 2017 | 325,220 |
Asked by: Mary Creagh (Labour - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many vehicles in his Department's fleet are (a) electric vehicles and (b) ultra-low emission vehicles.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Department does not have a fleet of vehicles.
Asked by: Mary Creagh (Labour - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) metered-dose and (b) dry powder inhalers were prescribed in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Steve Brine
The number of metered dose and dry powder inhalers prescribed in England in each of the last financial years can be found in the table below:
Time Period | Metered Dose Inhalers Total Number of Items | Metered Dose Inhalers Total Number of Inhalers | Dry Powder Inhalers Total Number of Items | Dry Powder Inhalers Total Number of Inhalers |
1Financial 2012/13 | 16,865,011 | 22,200,978 | 6,232,791 | 77,106,658 |
Financial 2013/14 | 33,285,250 | 43,706,232 | 13,050,690 | 163,352,892 |
Financial 2014/15 | 34,896,944 | 45,485,666 | 13,796,383 | 170,303,819 |
Financial 2015/16 | 34,999,252 | 45,253,625 | 14,120,657 | 169,800,742 |
Financial 2016/17 | 35,821,122 | 45,780,844 | 14,456,394 | 168,747,335 |
2Financial 2017/18 | 17,456,205 | 22,171,264 | 7,181,685 | 83,215,366 |
Total | 173,323,784 | 224,598,609 | 68,838,600 | 832,526,812 |
Notes:
1Financial 2012/13 covers time period October 2012 to March 2013
2Financial 2017/18 covers time period April 2017 to September 2017
This information has been provided by the NHS Business Services Authority.
Asked by: Mary Creagh (Labour - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has undertaken a cost-benefit analysis of encouraging the prescription of more dry powder inhalers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Department has not undertaken a cost-benefit analysis. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has made assessments on the health effectiveness of inhalers, which are used to treat a number of health conditions and have published a number of resources to assist clinicians in treating those conditions. The Department is not leading on policies related to fluorinated greenhouse gases. We, however, will continue to provide advice to Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs on any potential health impact in relation to their policies.
Asked by: Mary Creagh (Labour - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of replicating the relevant functions of the European Medicines Agency after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Steve Brine
Our overall aim in the negotiations is to ensure that patients in the United Kingdom and across the European Union continue to be able to access the best and most innovative medicines while being assured that their safety is protected. We are committed to continue a close working relationship with the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the exact nature of this relationship will be determined through our negotiations.
The UK already has substantial capacity and expertise to regulate and evaluate the safety of our medicines. The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) directly assesses the vast majority of medicines used by patients within the UK. The MHRA is globally recognised for its expertise and they typically undertake between 20 – 35% of the EMA’s licensing and vigilance work, including a significant proportion of pharmacovigilance work and safety referrals.
Asked by: Mary Creagh (Labour - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what preparations his Department has made to replicate the relevant functions of the European Medicines Agency after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Steve Brine
Our overall aim in the negotiations is to ensure that patients in the United Kingdom and across the European Union continue to be able to access the best and most innovative medicines while being assured that their safety is protected. We are committed to continue a close working relationship with the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the exact nature of this relationship will be determined through our negotiations.
The UK already has substantial capacity and expertise to regulate and evaluate the safety of our medicines. The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) directly assesses the vast majority of medicines used by patients within the UK. The MHRA is globally recognised for its expertise and they typically undertake between 20 – 35% of the EMA’s licensing and vigilance work, including a significant proportion of pharmacovigilance work and safety referrals.
Asked by: Mary Creagh (Labour - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the number of staff required to replicate the relevant functions of the European Medicines Agency after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Steve Brine
Our overall aim in the negotiations is to ensure that patients in the United Kingdom and across the European Union continue to be able to access the best and most innovative medicines while being assured that their safety is protected. We are committed to continue a close working relationship with the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the exact nature of this relationship will be determined through our negotiations.
The UK already has substantial capacity and expertise to regulate and evaluate the safety of our medicines. The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) directly assesses the vast majority of medicines used by patients within the UK. The MHRA is globally recognised for its expertise and they typically undertake between 20 – 35% of the EMA’s licensing and vigilance work, including a significant proportion of pharmacovigilance work and safety referrals.
Asked by: Mary Creagh (Labour - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of replicating the relevant functions of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Steve Brine
As part of the negotiations, Public Health England is examining the European Union security measures we are currently part of, including alternative health security arrangements. We are seeking a strategic partnership to continue close working relationship with our European partners. However, whilst negotiations are ongoing, we are not in a position to speculate on the cost to the public purse and the number of staff required to replicate the relevant functions of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
The United Kingdom is a world leader in tackling serious cross-border threats to health and has a well-developed health protection system highly regarded by European partners. We use and benefit from a range of international information-sharing tools in the area of health security, which are by no means limited to EU mechanisms but include other channels such as the 2005 International Health Regulations.
In addition, the UK already has good collaborative relationship with other international partners such as the World Health Organization. It is in everyone’s interests to continue to collaborate closely, and to maintain access to our intelligence, risk assessment, guidance and management advice.