Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has made an assessment of the effect of trends in the level of poverty on the health of children and young people throughout the UK.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The circumstances we are born in to and the conditions in which we live all have a major bearing on our health and wellbeing. The Government remains committed to tackling poverty so that we can make a lasting difference to long-term outcomes. There is clear evidence about the importance of work in tackling poverty now and in the future. Households where all adults are in work are around six times less likely to be in relative poverty than adults in a household where nobody works. The Government has lifted 400,000 people out of absolute poverty since 2010 and the number of people in employment has increased by over 3.7 million, there are around one million fewer workless households and around 667,000 fewer children in such households.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will introduce a children and young people's health strategy to link policies that affect child health and to tackle the social determinants of health outcomes.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department welcomes the contribution provided by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), which has highlighted a number of challenges that must be addressed. We are pleased with the progress noted by the RCPCH in the most recent assessment, particularly on the NHS Long Term Plan including its focus on maternity, support for mental health, learning disabilities and cancer.
There are no current plans to introduce a separate children and young people’s health strategy as suggested by the RCPCH and other bodies. Our Prevention Vision is clear on the importance of action in our earliest experiences, the environment around us and from the services we receive. We are focussed on tackling the root causes of poor health, not just treating the symptoms and will continue to lead a range of policies to influence the wider issues that impact on child health.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
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 policies of the conclusions in the report entitled, State of Child Health: Two years on, published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department welcomes the contribution provided by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), which has highlighted a number of challenges that must be addressed. We are pleased with the progress noted by the RCPCH in the most recent assessment, particularly on the NHS Long Term Plan including its focus on maternity, support for mental health, learning disabilities and cancer.
There are no current plans to introduce a separate children and young people’s health strategy as suggested by the RCPCH and other bodies. Our Prevention Vision is clear on the importance of action in our earliest experiences, the environment around us and from the services we receive. We are focussed on tackling the root causes of poor health, not just treating the symptoms and will continue to lead a range of policies to influence the wider issues that impact on child health.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
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 allocating additional funding to increase the number of domestic medical student places to ensure that the NHS has adequate staff to meet demand.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Government has already committed to funding for universities to offer an extra 1,500 undergraduate medical school places for domestic students. The first 630 places were taken up in September 2018 and the remaining additional places will have been made available by universities by 2020/21. By 2020, five new medical schools will have opened in England to help deliver the expansion.
The interim NHS People Plan recognises that we will need more people working in the National Health Service over the next 10 years. We will review what further expansion in undergraduate medical places will be needed, in light of future plans made locally by sustainability and transformation partnerships and integrated care systems.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
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 funding additional domestic medical student places to meet recent changes in the level of NHS demand.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government has announced a record increase of an additional 1,500 medical school places for domestic students in England – 630 started this September, with a further 690 starting in 2019/20 and the final 180 in 2020/21. This expansion will also deliver five brand new medical schools in Sunderland, Lancashire, Chelmsford, Lincoln and Canterbury.
On the back of the additional £20 billion additional National Health Service funding, NHS leaders are currently producing a long-term plan that will include proposals for the NHS workforce, training and leadership, which the Government will consider and respond to in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the White Paper, The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, published in July 2018, whether he has plans to replicate the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 in the common rulebook.
Answered by Steve Brine
The content of the common rule book will form part of ongoing discussions between Her Majesty’s Government and the T50 taskforce, to ensure that the content of the common rule book account for a robust and safe food system between the United Kingdom and European Union. The rule book will only include those rules necessary to provide for frictionless trade at the border. The specific regulations which are considered for the rulebook will form a part of these ongoing discussions.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to maintain the responsibilities and functions in the UK of the European Food Safety Authority (a) when the UK leaves the EU and (b) in the event of the UK leaving the EU in 2019 without an agreement.
Answered by Steve Brine
United Kingdom Government Departments are currently working together to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the European Union will have on our relationship with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and other EU agencies. A range of options are being considered for the future of risk assessment and scientific advice in the UK. The UK has a long tradition of close scientific collaboration with EFSA which we greatly value and hope to continue in the future. The nature of the UK’s future relationship with EFSA will be subject to forthcoming negotiations and we are exploring opportunities to redefine a close working relationship with EFSA. In the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, government contingency planning includes developing UK alternatives to some of the functions currently provided by EFSA, building on existing scientific advisory and risk assessment capability.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
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 continuity of public and animal health protection through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (a) when the UK leaves the EU and (b) in the event of the UK leaving the EU in 2019 without agreement.
Answered by Steve Brine
Leaving the European Union does not change our top priority which is to ensure that United Kingdom food remains safe and what it says it is.
The UK aims to negotiate full access to the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) network. The UK is an active member of the RASFF network, regularly providing essential updates to member states.
The Government is planning for a range of possible outcomes, including the UK leaving the EU in 2019 without agreement, to ensure the current high standards of food and feed in the UK are maintained; we believe it would be mutually beneficial for the EU and UK to continue this vital data-sharing on food safety.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to maintain the responsibilities and functions of the European Food Safety Authority when the UK leaves the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal.
Answered by Steve Brine
We firmly believe it is in the interests of both the European Union and the United Kingdom to strike a deal. That remains the goal on both sides and we are confident that this will be achieved. As is the job of a responsible Government, we have already carried out very significant no deal preparations and will be setting out further details on food safety shortly so that business and citizens have time to prepare. The UK’s priority is to maintain our high standards of food and feed safety.