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 whether their is a causal link between the increased use of portable electronic devices and the (a) incidence and (b) prevalence of head lice in (i) primary and (ii) secondary school aged children; and what support his Department provides to schools to help (A) prevent and (B) treat head lice infestations.

Public Health England has not carried out any assessment or study on the relationship between use of portable electronic devices and head lice in school aged children.

School nurses and their teams as public health nurses provide advice and guidance to schools and parents on head lice prevention and treatment; however they do not check individual pupils’ hair. Parents are best placed to identify head lice and should be encouraged to regularly check their own child’s hair.

Parents may also seek advice from their practice nurse or pharmacist.