Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps Public Health England is taking to promote its guidance on the benefits to people of taking a daily vitamin D supplement in the autumn and winter months; and if he will make a statement.

Public Health England ensured that the media and non-governmental organisations were fully briefed in advance of the publication of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition report on vitamin D in 2016; this helped ensure that the advice was well publicised following publication:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-vitamin-d-and-health-report

Advice continues to be communicated via the NHS Choices website and can be viewed here:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

In 2014, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence produced public health guidance (PH56) on increasing vitamin D supplement use among population groups at risk of vitamin D deficiency. The guidance can be viewed here:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph56