Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to (a) increase funding for UK funded nutrition programmes ahead of the Nutrition for Growth Summit in December 2021 in Tokyo and (b) renew the commitment to reach over 50 million children, women, and adolescent girls with nutrition relevant programmes by 2025; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Government is actively considering its approach to the N4G summit, including any new nutrition commitment, and will update the house following the conclusion of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to renew the commitment to improve the nutrition of at least fifty million people for the period 2021-26; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Government is actively considering its approach to the Nutrition 4 Growth summit, including any new nutrition commitment, and will update the house following the conclusion of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform independent report, published May 2021, what assessment he has made of how the (a) work of the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances and (b) the Medical Nutrition Industry were taken into account in that report.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We have not made such an assessment.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances has adequate (a) structures and (b) processes to support innovation and growth in the specialist medical nutrition industry in the UK.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances (ACBS) and the Department are working with the British Specialist Nutrition Association, the trade body for the medical nutrition industry and its members to update the ACBS’ processes, its application form, and guidance.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by UNICEF's Executive Director at the meeting marking the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes on 21 May, what steps they plan to take (1) with international partners, and (2) through the direction of Overseas Development Assistance, (a) to end the marketing of such substitutes to new parents, and (b) to promote breastfeeding.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Breastfeeding plays an important role in boosting children's immune systems, and protecting them from malnutrition and disease. This is of particular importance in developing countries, where safe use of infant formula is often not possible. As part of the government's commitment to ending the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns, and children, the FCDO will continue to ensure that Overseas Development Assistance contributes to improved breastfeeding and safe infant feeding through our health and humanitarian programmes. This includes working with UNICEF to ensure breastfeeding promotion and support is provided in countries with high levels of child wasting.
In addition, we are supporting the Access to Nutrition Initiative in holding manufacturers of breast milk substitutes to account for their marketing practices, encouraging companies to fully comply with the Code. We have also worked with the Government of Japan, civil society, and other donors to define Principles of Engagement for the 2021 Nutrition for Growth Summit. These will prohibit the involvement of companies that violate the code at the December Summit.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what funding commitment his Department plans to make at the 2021 Nutrition for Growth Summit.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is working closely with the Government of Japan to make sure the 2021 Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit supports meaningful action by governments, donors, businesses, the UN and civil society.
The FCDO is undertaking a rigorous internal prioritisation process in response to the spending review announcement. We will update on the implications of this for any new commitment to nutrition in due course.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will use the 2021 Nutrition for Growth summit to emphasise that the UK is committed to reaching over 50 million children, women and adolescent girls through nutrition-specific programmes by 2025.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Between April 2015 and March 2020, the UK reached 55.1 million young children, women and adolescent girls through our nutrition programmes.
We remain committed to the Nutrition for Growth process and will continue to work closely on preparations for the 2021 Summit with the Government of Japan. Options for any new Nutrition for Growth commitment will be reviewed once the internal business planning process is complete.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2021 to Question 145834, which Ministers in his Department met with (a) the International Coalition for Advocacy on Nutrition and (b) members of the Action for Global Health network; and what the agenda items were for those meetings.
Answered by Wendy Morton
I met with 4 representatives from the International Coalition for Advocacy on Nutrition (ICAN) on 4th May 2020. The topics covered were:
I met with the CEOs from the Action for Global Health Network on 24th June 2020 to discuss the UK's response to COVID-19 and the indirect impacts of COVID-19 on health essential services. The meeting also covered ODA prioritisation and the DFID-FCO merger.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the end of their funding under the Nutrition for Growth Summit 2013 commitments on malnutrition in the global south.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has been the largest nutrition donor globally over the past few years. The UK has invested £3.7 billion in tackling malnutrition since the Nutrition for Growth Summit in 2013. From 2015-2020, 55.1 million young children, women and adolescent girls have been reached through our nutrition programmes.
The Department is undertaking a rigorous internal prioritisation process following the spending review announcement. We will update on the implications of this for any new nutrition commitment in due course.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2020 Question 139097 on Developing Countries: Nutrition, on what dates roundtables with Civil Society Organisations (a) are planned and (b) were held; which organisations were (i) in attendance and (ii) invited to those roundtables; and what the agenda for discussion was for each roundtable.
Answered by Wendy Morton
FCDO officials regularly hold roundtables with Civil Society Organisation networks that have an interest in nutrition. In the last 12 months, officials met with members of the International Coalition for Advocacy on Nutrition eleven times and with members of the Action for Global Health network five times. Both networks also met with FCDO Ministers once over that period. Our next meeting with ICAN is planned for 24 February. Invitations to meetings are extended to all members of the respective networks with members themselves agreeing which representatives will meet with the FCDO. The Action for Global Health network ensures at least one attendee represents the nutrition agenda.
The timing and agendas for these meetings are agreed in discussion between FCDO officials and the respective networks. Topics have included the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit; the World Bank Spring meetings; the Independent Commission for Aid Impact review of the UK's work on nutrition; COVID-19 and the impact on nutrition; UK plans to support ending preventable deaths of mothers newborns and children; and the role of the UK's Special Envoy on Famine.