Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times ambulance services have been called to (a) a school and (b) other locations for an incident in relation to vaping fluid laced with (i) cannabis and (ii) Spice in the last 12 months.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This information is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of (a) the number of under-18s who have had cosmetic fillers and Botox injections in the last year and (b) the cost to the NHS of correcting complications and mistakes involving those procedures; and if he will make it his policy to make it illegal for under-18s to be given injecting fillers.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
The Department does not hold the information requested.
The Government is committed to improving the safety of cosmetic procedures through better training for practitioners, and clear information so that people can make informed decisions about their care.
The Department is working with stakeholders, including professional associations, to review industry standards of practice as part of the manifesto commitment to ensure there is “effective registration and regulation of those performing cosmetic interventions”. This work includes an assessment of the health risks and psychological impact of current access arrangements to injectable cosmetic procedures by children and young people.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
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 implications for his Department's policies of the research by the University of Bristol published on 16 September 2019 in Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology; and whether he plans update his Department's guidance as a result of that research.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continuously monitors the safety of all medicines on the market in the United Kingdom. Following a recent European review of the available epidemiological data on the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders with use of paracetamol in pregnancy, the product information for paracetamol is already being updated to reflect the findings.
The MHRA has sought independent advice from its expert committees on this latest study which found an increased risk of neurocognitive effects in children born to women who took paracetamol during pregnancy. The expert committees advised that the new study adds to the existing body of evidence but does not provide any further insight into a possible causal association between in utero exposure to paracetamol and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Patients should be advised that if necessary, paracetamol can be used during pregnancy. However, it should be used at the lowest possible dose that reduces symptoms and for the shortest time possible.
Pregnant women should speak to their doctor or midwife before taking any medicine, including paracetamol.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups offer IVF and other fertility treatments to single women; and how much was spent on such treatment in the last three years.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
NHS England do not collect data on the number of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) that offer in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or their expenditure on this specific treatment, although it is estimated that the National Health Services spends approximately £100 million a year on IVF.
The level of provision of fertility treatment is decided by CCGs, taking into account the needs of their local population. CCGs have a legal duty to have regard to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and NHS England and NHS Improvement expects all those involved in commissioning fertility treatment services to be fully aware of their importance. In taking clinical decisions about fertility treatment and taking account of their public sector equality duty, CCGs should make assessments based on clinical infertility and not on relationship status
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
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 trends in the number of children being given (a) therapy and (b) psychiatric medication for eco-anxiety; and what steps the Government is taking to reduce those levels.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
No such assessment has been made.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the NHS on NHS spending following media reports on 8 September 2019 that the NHS is to review the ban on single women receiving fertility treatment.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The level of provision of local health services, including fertility treatment, available to patients is, and has been since the 1990s, a matter for local healthcare commissioners, who must consider the needs and priorities of all their population. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have the current statutory responsibility to commission high quality services that meet the needs of their local population. Decisions about treatment should always be based on patients’ clinical needs.
If there are concerns about provision of care, it is for NHS England to ensure the CCG is not breaching its statutory responsibility to provide services that meet the needs of the local population. Where performance concerns are identified, NHS England has the ability to exercise formal legal powers to either provide an enhanced support to a CCG, or in rare circumstances to intervene where it is believed that a CCG is failing, or is at risk of failing, to discharge its functions.
NHS England has advised that the CCGs in south east London have agreed to undertake a rapid review of the NHS South East London’s Treatment Access Policy Document in relation to access criteria for funding in vitro fertilisation (IVF) by the end of November 2019.
The CCGs have made a public apology for any offence caused by the wording in the Treatment Access Policy Document in relation to single women’s access to IVF treatment and the review document it refers to and agree that this wording is unacceptable.
The rapid review will also specifically consider issues relating to equality and discrimination in relation to single women. The CCGs will publish the review alongside any changes to the revision of the policy.
NHS England and NHS Improvement are aware that the CCGs are undertaking a review of the policy, as the body responsible for that policy. All CCG governing bodies were asked to review and approve any changes to the NHS South East London Treatment Access Policy made for 2019/20.
In taking clinical decisions about fertility treatment and taking account of their public sector equality duty, CCGs should make assessments based on clinical infertility and not on relationship status.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
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 effect of the increased numbers of people vaping on (a) nicotine addiction, (b) incidences of increased blood pressure and (c) heart attack rates.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Public Health England (PHE) has published a series of reports on electronic cigarettes including the effects of vaping on health. The reports are available to view at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/e-cigarettes-and-vaping-policy-regulation-and-guidance
While nicotine can contribute to raised blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, it is tar and carbon monoxide, which are the major sources of cardiovascular risk in cigarette smoke, producing nicotine vapour from a solution rather than by burning tobacco means that electronic cigarette vapour is free from almost all the toxic chemicals that accompany nicotine in cigarette smoke.
The Office for National Statistics has recorded the numbers of people using e-cigarettes since 2014 and the combined number of people using e-cigarettes and smoking has not increased since then. The proportion of people who smoke has decreased substantially in the same period.
PHE encourages people who both vape and smoke to stop smoking completely, because this greatly reduces health risks.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban e-cigarettes wherever the smoking ban is in place. .
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government believes in proportionate regulation of e-cigarettes, recognising that they are not risk-free. Through the European Union Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU (TPD), transposed into United Kingdom law by the UK Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR), we have introduced measures to regulate e-cigarettes. These measures reduce the risk of harm to children, protect against any risk of renormalisation of tobacco use, provide assurance on relative safety for users, and give businesses legal certainty. This has enabled the UK to implement appropriate standards for products whilst allowing smokers to move to e-cigarettes should they wish.
The Government has made a commitment to review the TRPR by May 2021 to consider its regulatory impact. In addition, as announced in the Tobacco Control Plan the Government will review where the UK’s exit from the European Union offers us opportunities to re-appraise current regulation to ensure this continues to protect the nation’s health.
The Government has no plans to introduce legislative proposals to ban e-cigarettes, e-cigarette shops or smoking on National Health Service property.
We continue to support the implementation of smokefree policies across all hospitals in England. The Government’s tobacco control plan for England published in July 2017 reiterates our ambition to achieve smokefree mental health services and NHS estate by 2019/20. The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, further supports the creation of a Smokefree NHS with the commitment to offering NHS-funded tobacco treatment services to all patients who smoke.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban (a) e-cigarette shops and (b) smoking on NHS hospital property.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government believes in proportionate regulation of e-cigarettes, recognising that they are not risk-free. Through the European Union Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU (TPD), transposed into United Kingdom law by the UK Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR), we have introduced measures to regulate e-cigarettes. These measures reduce the risk of harm to children, protect against any risk of renormalisation of tobacco use, provide assurance on relative safety for users, and give businesses legal certainty. This has enabled the UK to implement appropriate standards for products whilst allowing smokers to move to e-cigarettes should they wish.
The Government has made a commitment to review the TRPR by May 2021 to consider its regulatory impact. In addition, as announced in the Tobacco Control Plan the Government will review where the UK’s exit from the European Union offers us opportunities to re-appraise current regulation to ensure this continues to protect the nation’s health.
The Government has no plans to introduce legislative proposals to ban e-cigarettes, e-cigarette shops or smoking on National Health Service property.
We continue to support the implementation of smokefree policies across all hospitals in England. The Government’s tobacco control plan for England published in July 2017 reiterates our ambition to achieve smokefree mental health services and NHS estate by 2019/20. The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, further supports the creation of a Smokefree NHS with the commitment to offering NHS-funded tobacco treatment services to all patients who smoke.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the value of packs of Orkambi that have been disposed of while negotiations between NHS England and Vertex Pharmaceuticals are ongoing.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The Department has made no such estimate.