May. 24 2024
Source Page: Next phase of work to reduce metal mine pollution due to startFound: It will also bring a boost to biodiversity by the creation of rare calaminarian grassland habitats –
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address public concerns concerning (1) the quality of drinking water, and (2) the discharge of untreated waste into the sea, rivers and lakes.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It is important not to conflate the quality of raw water and drinking water. Drinking water quality in England is of an exceptionally high standard and among the best in the world. Compliance with drinking water quality standards has been consistently high for a number of years, with a rate of 99.97% in 2022.
The Government published the Plan for Water in April 2023 – our comprehensive strategy for managing our water environment. It brings together the significant steps we have already taken with a suite of new policy actions. It aims to change the way that we manage water, improve water quality, and continue to secure our water supply through increased investment, stronger regulation and enforcement.
The Government is clear that the amount of sewage discharged into our waters is unacceptable. The Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan (SODRP) sets out stringent targets to protect people and the environment; and prioritises for early action areas used for bathing, for growing shellfish or with high ecological importance. The SODRP will drive £60 billion investment between now and 2050 to improve storm overflows, the largest infrastructure programme in water company history.
We will not let companies get away with illegal activity and where breaches are found, the regulators will not hesitate to hold companies to account.
The recent cryptosporidium outbreak in Brixham is extremely unfortunate and it is a horrific experience for the people who have been made ill. The Drinking Water Inspectorate is actively investigating the cause, extent and actions of the company, and will take actions including enforcement action in due course to prevent this type of event happening again.
Thankfully, these events are very rare, and elsewhere consumers should continue to have confidence in their high quality drinking water.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will undertake a study on trends in alcohol use among young people.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England holds several data sources covering alcohol use for people aged under 18 years old, including the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People survey. This data is collected every two years, and the next survey report is due Autumn 2024, and will include 2023 survey data.
The guidance from England’s Chief Medical Officer for healthcare professionals is clear, an alcohol-free childhood is the healthiest and best option. The Department promotes this through online platforms such as the NHS.UK website, and the Talk to FRANK online resource. Local authorities promote these guidelines as part of their public health duties.
Alcohol or drug dependence is rare in children and young people under the age of 18 years old, although they may be drinking problematically. For those that do need support, the Department has allocated £532 million of additional funding through to 2024/25 to support improvements in treatment, including facilitating 5,000 more young people into age-appropriate alcohol and drug treatment.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England took to ensure that informed consent was given by recipients of the Oxford-AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
To ensure informed consent was given by patients who received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, all vaccination sites were instructed to follow consent guidance in line with the recommendations set out in chapter two of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book on vaccinations and immunisations.
Healthcare organisations administering any COVID-19 vaccinations are responsible for drawing up their own policies for obtaining informed consent, and health professionals overseeing or administering COVID-19 vaccines are responsible for ensuring that valid consent has been obtained. This would normally involve a discussion with the clinician prior to the administration of the vaccine, and individuals will also have had access to guides and patient information leaflets which provided details about the vaccine, how it is administered, possible side effects, and other warnings and precautions to take.
Regarding the very rare adverse events of concurrent thrombosis and thrombocytopenia associated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, NHS England notified healthcare organisations administering the COVID-19 vaccinations immediately following the updated advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation published on 7 April 2021, and then again following updated advice on 7 May 2021. In these updates, sent via system letters, NHS England set out the next steps for healthcare organisations and clinicians, including on the consent process.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date NHS England informed patients receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine that there were safety risks of vaccine-induced thrombosis with thrombocytopenia associated with the vaccine.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
To ensure informed consent was given by patients who received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, all vaccination sites were instructed to follow consent guidance in line with the recommendations set out in chapter two of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book on vaccinations and immunisations.
Healthcare organisations administering any COVID-19 vaccinations are responsible for drawing up their own policies for obtaining informed consent, and health professionals overseeing or administering COVID-19 vaccines are responsible for ensuring that valid consent has been obtained. This would normally involve a discussion with the clinician prior to the administration of the vaccine, and individuals will also have had access to guides and patient information leaflets which provided details about the vaccine, how it is administered, possible side effects, and other warnings and precautions to take.
Regarding the very rare adverse events of concurrent thrombosis and thrombocytopenia associated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, NHS England notified healthcare organisations administering the COVID-19 vaccinations immediately following the updated advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation published on 7 April 2021, and then again following updated advice on 7 May 2021. In these updates, sent via system letters, NHS England set out the next steps for healthcare organisations and clinicians, including on the consent process.
Written Evidence May. 23 2024
Inquiry: Food, Diet and ObesityFound: There are the rare cases where schools aren’t as proactive as they could be, but these are generally
Written Evidence May. 23 2024
Inquiry: Food, Diet and ObesityFound: factors include Cushing’s disease, hypothyroidism, concomitant drug use such as glucocorticoids, and rare
Written Evidence May. 23 2024
Inquiry: Boys’ attainment and engagement in educationFound: incorporating pupil voice to negotiate change Reward systems that really work well are fairly rare
Written Evidence May. 23 2024
Inquiry: Future funding of the BBC World ServiceFound: In countries where freedom of the press is limited, such as Russia and China, the BBCWS offers a rare
Written Evidence May. 23 2024
Inquiry: Future funding of the BBC World ServiceFound: original journalism, done in-market by trained investigative journalists is becoming increasingly rare