Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that people receive sufficient vitamin D each day.

NHS Choices and the Start4Life website contain information on good sources of vitamin D foods and set out, for those at risk of vitamin D deficiency, the benefits of vitamin D supplementation. This is particularly important for pregnant and breastfeeding women, for babies and children up to the age of five, for those over 65 and people who are not exposed to much sunlight.

For those at risk of Vitamin D deficiency, the UK Chief Medical Officers have also provided advice on vitamin D supplements which is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213703/dh_132508.pdf

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance stating that awareness of vitamin D supplementation should be provided to at-risk groups by local public health teams, health and social care practitioners and voluntary and community groups.

The Healthy Start Scheme is a statutory scheme which aims to improve the nutritional health of pregnant women and children under the age of four in low income families by providing vouchers that can be exchanged for free Healthy Start vitamins containing vitamin D.