Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1697803

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Electronic Cigarettes: Sales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish a breakdown of the allocation of £3million government funding for Operation Joseph.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	19833
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2024 answer text <p>Operation Joseph was established to enforce the rules on vaping, and tackle illicit vapes and underage sales. It supplements work being undertaken by local authorities using existing local government funding. The £3 million of funding has been allocated over two years, from 2023/24 to 2024/25. A grant was provided to the National Trading Standards to commission specific areas of work, and to support local authorities. The following table shows the budget of each work area as of February 2024, as well as the total allocated:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Work Area</p></td><td><p>Budget</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Business Education</p></td><td><p>£88,800</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Professional Training and Upskilling</p></td><td><p>£164,400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Intelligence and Data</p></td><td><p>£500,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Supporting storage and disposal costs for local authority seizures</p></td><td><p>£600,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Online test purchasing and website takedowns</p></td><td><p>£80,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Market Surveillance and testing of vaping products</p></td><td><p>£140,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Tackling the import of illegal vapes</p></td><td><p>£1,087,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Programme Governance Communications and Evaluation</p></td><td><p>£281,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Contingency</p></td><td><p>£58,800</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total Allocated</p></td><td><p>£3,000,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Note: The figures shown are based on allocations in February 2024, and may be subject to change.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 09/04/2024 12:30:31 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

1697804

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Electronic Cigarettes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the number of adult vapers that may return to tobacco products as a result of the disposable vapes ban.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	19834
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2024 answer text <p>The health advice on vaping is clear, vaping can play a role in helping adult smokers to quit, but if you don’t smoke, don’t vape, and children should never vape. However, youth vaping has tripled in the last three years, and one in five children have now used a vape. We know that disposable vapes have played a significant role in this rise, with 69% of 11 to 17-year-olds who vape now using disposables, compared to just 7% in 2021. Disposable vapes also cause significant environmental harm, with five million disposable vapes thrown away every week.</p><p>To protect children and the environment, the Government has taken the decision to ban the sale and supply of disposable vapes.</p><p>The Impact Assessment on the disposable vape ban, published by the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs on 11 March 2024, states that it is difficult to quantify the number of people switching either between different types of vapes, disposable to reusable, switching from vaping to smoking cigarettes, or stopping vaping or smoking altogether, as a result of a ban on disposable vapes.</p><p>However, reusable and refillable vapes will still be available for adult smokers to use as a quit aid and as a more affordable option than smoking. Therefore, it will not be necessary for adult vapers to return to tobacco products because refillable vapes will remain easily available to them, at a small cost relative to most tobacco products.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 03/04/2024 11:38:27 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

1697821

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Health: Social Media
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to develop tools on social media to improve health literacy for (a) men and (b) women.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	19904
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2024 answer text <p>The National Health Service website and the NHS App are our main digital tools available to citizens, to support them in accessing services and making decisions about their health.</p><p>These are supported by the Department and NHS social media channels through a range of proactive media campaigns to help citizens make and sustain healthy behaviour changes, as well as receive the care they need by accessing the NHS at the right time, in the right way.</p><p>Clinicians across the NHS also support patients’ health literacy by providing clear information, increasing patients’ knowledge, and sharing decision making on their care.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 04/04/2024 15:16:30 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1697824

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Electronic Cigarettes and Tobacco: Genetics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has she made of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the research article by University College London entitled Cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use induce shared DNA methylation changes linked to carcinogenesis, published on 19 March 2024.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	19905
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government’s position on vaping remains unchanged, if you don’t smoke, don’t vape, and children should never vape. Studies are important in helping to better understand the long-term health risks associated with vaping, but the mentioned study, that was carried out by University College London, corroborated by Cancer Research UK, does not demonstrate a causal relationship between vaping and cancer.</p><p> </p><p>Overall, studies on the effects of vaping have so far shown that vapes are less harmful than smoking and can help people quit, although the long-term risks are unknown. Vaping is never recommended for children, and carries potential harms of future addiction while their lungs and brains are still developing. There is a lack of research on the potential long-term harms from vaping, and we are exploring future opportunities with the United Kingdom’s research councils.</p><p> </p><p>Otherwise, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 February 2024 to Question <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-02-01/12629" target="_blank">12629</a>, as our position on the advertising of vapes remains unchanged.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 19906 19907 question first answered 03/04/2024 11:35:08 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1697827

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Electronic Cigarettes: Research
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has commissioned research into cellular changes in lung tissue for those who vape to assess the risks of future cancer.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	19906
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government’s position on vaping remains unchanged, if you don’t smoke, don’t vape, and children should never vape. Studies are important in helping to better understand the long-term health risks associated with vaping, but the mentioned study, that was carried out by University College London, corroborated by Cancer Research UK, does not demonstrate a causal relationship between vaping and cancer.</p><p> </p><p>Overall, studies on the effects of vaping have so far shown that vapes are less harmful than smoking and can help people quit, although the long-term risks are unknown. Vaping is never recommended for children, and carries potential harms of future addiction while their lungs and brains are still developing. There is a lack of research on the potential long-term harms from vaping, and we are exploring future opportunities with the United Kingdom’s research councils.</p><p> </p><p>Otherwise, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 February 2024 to Question <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-02-01/12629" target="_blank">12629</a>, as our position on the advertising of vapes remains unchanged.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 19905 19907 question first answered 03/04/2024 11:35:08 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1697830

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Electronic Cigarettes: Advertising
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the research article by University College London entitled Cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use induce shared DNA methylation changes linked to carcinogenesis, published on 19 March 2024, if she will ban advertising for vapes.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	19907
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government’s position on vaping remains unchanged, if you don’t smoke, don’t vape, and children should never vape. Studies are important in helping to better understand the long-term health risks associated with vaping, but the mentioned study, that was carried out by University College London, corroborated by Cancer Research UK, does not demonstrate a causal relationship between vaping and cancer.</p><p> </p><p>Overall, studies on the effects of vaping have so far shown that vapes are less harmful than smoking and can help people quit, although the long-term risks are unknown. Vaping is never recommended for children, and carries potential harms of future addiction while their lungs and brains are still developing. There is a lack of research on the potential long-term harms from vaping, and we are exploring future opportunities with the United Kingdom’s research councils.</p><p> </p><p>Otherwise, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 February 2024 to Question <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-02-01/12629" target="_blank">12629</a>, as our position on the advertising of vapes remains unchanged.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 19905 19906 question first answered 03/04/2024 11:35:08 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1697832

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Electronic Cigarettes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of taking steps to create a vape-free generation.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	19908
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>Smoking is the number one cause of ill-health, disability, and death, responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom, causing around one in four cancer deaths. It costs our country £17 billion a year, and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service. There is no more dangerous product that is legally sold in our shops than tobacco, a product that will kill two thirds of its users.</p><p>The health advice on vaping is clear, vaping can play a role in helping adult smokers to quit, but if you don’t smoke, don’t vape. Vaping should never be used by, or targeted at, children, especially given the highly addictive nature of nicotine.</p><p>This is why we have announced strong measures to reduce the appeal, availability, and affordability of vapes to children, whilst ensuring that vapes remain an available quit aid for adult smokers. We will also ban the sale and supply of disposable vapes, which are clearly linked to the recent rise in vaping in children.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 27/03/2024 15:52:24 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1697833

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Nutrition
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward further policies to help reduce the (a) sugar, (b) fat and (c) salt content in diets.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	19909
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>Restrictions on the advertising and volume price promotions, such as buy-one-get-one free or three for £2 offers, for less healthy foods will come into force on 1 October 2025. The advertising legislation will lead to the introduction of a 9:00pm television watershed and restrict paid-for advertising of less healthy products online, United Kingdom wide.</p><p> </p><p>Impact assessments already published for these measures show that the volume price promotions restrictions are expected to accrue health benefits of £2 billion, and National Health Service savings of £180 million over 25 years. The advertising restrictions are expected to deliver health benefits of £2 billion, and NHS savings of £50 million over the next 100 years.</p><p> </p><p>Voluntary guidelines to reduce levels of sugar and salt in, and improve the labelling of, commercial baby food and drink aimed at those aged up to 36 months old, are currently being finalised and will be published in the spring.</p><p> </p><p>Businesses are being given until the end of 2025 to deliver the sugar and calorie reduction targets through the voluntary reformulation programme. These targets were due to be delivered earlier than this, but businesses have been given additional time because of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food system. The Government will continue to monitor this area, but will explore other levers if progress is not made. Through the sugar reduction workstream of the overarching reformulation programme, between 2015 and 2020 reductions in sugar levels were delivered in breakfast cereals, yogurts, and pre-packed flavoured milk based drinks of 14.9%, 13.5%, and 29.7%, respectively.</p><p> </p><p>Discussions are also underway to establish a Food Data Transparency Partnership (FDTP). This is a multi-year partnership between the Government, industry, and civil society to improve access to, and the availability of, data to build consistent reporting requirements for businesses on key health and sustainability objectives.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 27/03/2024 15:49:32 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1697834

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Obesity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of obesity; and what steps her Department is taking to help tackle obesity.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	19910
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government is delivering a wide range of measures to reduce the numbers of both adults and children who are overweight, or living with obesity. To date this includes legislative measures to limit the advertising, and location and price promotion, of less healthy products, and to ensure calorie levels are provided on menus when eating out of the home. Impact assessments for the legislated measures suggest there will be substantial health benefits, as well as savings to the National Health Service, accrued.</p><p>We have seen important successes through the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), which between 2015 and 2020 has seen sugar levels reduced by 46% in, and over 46,000 tonnes of sugar removed from, products in scope of the levy. Data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey from 2019 shows that sugar intakes have fallen for some age groups. In older children and adolescents, this appears to be partly driven by soft drinks contributing less to sugar intakes, likely as a result of the changes made to drinks included in the SDIL. Further information from the survey is available at the following link:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/ndns-results-from-years-9-to-11-2016-to-2017-and-2018-to-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/ndns-results-from-years-9-to-11-2016-to-2017-and-2018-to-2019</a></p><p> </p><p>A paper on the association of obesity in primary school children and the SDIL suggests that the reduction in the sugar content of soft drinks delivered by the SDIL could have prevented up to 5,000 cases of obesity in girls in the last year of primary school. Reductions were greatest in girls who attended schools in the 40% of the most deprived areas. Further information from the paper is available at the following link:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004160" target="_blank">https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004160</a></p><p> </p><p>The voluntary reformulation programme requires businesses reduce levels of sugar, salt, and calories in everyday food and drink. Levels of sugar have reduced in breakfast cereals, yogurts, and pre-packed milk-based drinks by 15%, 13.5%, and 29.7% respectively, between 2015 and 2020. Levels of salt have reduced in some products by 20%.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 27/03/2024 15:54:41 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1697835

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Nutrition
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with the food and drink sector on taking steps to provide healthy alternatives to products that are high in (a) fat, (b) sugar and (c) salt.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	19911
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>Discussions have been held by officials with the food and drink sector on taking steps to provide healthier alternatives to products that are high in salt since 2004, high in sugar since 2014, and high in calories since 2017. Provision of healthier alternatives to products that are high in saturated fat have been part of those discussions.</p><p>My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care meets regularly with external stakeholders on a variety of issues. These ministerial meetings are routinely published on a quarterly basis in arrears on the GOV.UK website. However, my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will recuse herself on departmental issues relating to outside interests, all of which have been declared to the House and under the Ministerial Code.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 27/03/2024 16:23:14 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell