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1712928

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
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	Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to improve access to mental health services.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	902442
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>We have been expanding and transforming mental healthcare</p><p><br>In 2022/23 3.6 million people received secondary mental healthcare, and 1.2 million people accessed NHS talking therapies</p><p><br>This is an increase in the number of people receiving NHS mental health support of around 30% in just three years.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 24/04/2024 08:22:40 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1684390

registered interest
date	23/01/2024
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	Food Standards Agency
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 adequacy of the resources provided to the Food Standards Agency to assess food safety applications.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	11130
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2024 answer text <p>The Food Standards Agency regularly review their resources across the teams who are responsible for delivering the regulated products service and assessing food safety applications. The teams have expanded since they took over responsibility for the delivery of the service from the European Union in January 2021. However, as highlighted in their most recent Board paper in December 2023, resource pressure remains the main risk to their delivery timetables. In the short-term they are mitigating this risk through continuous improvements that enable the current system to work more efficiently within existing resources. In the longer-term they will bring forward plans for more fundamental reform to streamline the system and reduce the burden on applicants and the regulator, without compromising food safety.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 30/01/2024 17:17:39 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1682489

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
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	Rare Diseases: Drugs
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 her Department has made of the potential impact of the (a) methods and (b) processes used by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on access to medicines for patients with rarer diseases since January 2022; and whether this assessment will be reflected in the next Rare Diseases Action Plan for England.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	9850
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2024 answer text <p>The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) can recommend most rare disease medicines that it appraises through the technology appraisal programme for some or all eligible patients. NICE has no current plans to undertake a modular update of its methods and processes related specifically to rare diseases.</p><p> </p><p>NICE specifically considered treatments for rare diseases during its methods review, and many of the changes introduced in NICE’s updated health technology evaluation manual in January 2022 will benefit treatments for rare diseases. These include the severity modifier, flexibility in uncertainty considerations and the emphasis on a comprehensive evidence base including real-world, qualitative, surrogate and expert evidence. These updates seek to mitigate the barriers faced by rare disease technologies while maintaining an evidence-based, robust and proportionate evaluation approach.</p><p> </p><p>The 2022 England Rare Diseases Action Plan was published following the NICE methods and processes review. The 2022 Action Plan includes actions to capitalise on the changes made to NICE’s methods and processes to ensure that NICE continues to support the rapid adoption of effective new treatments for National Health Service patients with rare diseases. The impact of these changes is being assessed and an update will be provided in the 2024 England Rare Diseases Action Plan.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson grouped question UIN 9851 question first answered 23/01/2024 09:25:27 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1682490

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
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	National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: Rare Diseases
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 discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the case for a rarity modifier in its standard technology appraisal programme as part of its modular updates to its methods and processes.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	9851
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2024 answer text <p>The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) can recommend most rare disease medicines that it appraises through the technology appraisal programme for some or all eligible patients. NICE has no current plans to undertake a modular update of its methods and processes related specifically to rare diseases.</p><p> </p><p>NICE specifically considered treatments for rare diseases during its methods review, and many of the changes introduced in NICE’s updated health technology evaluation manual in January 2022 will benefit treatments for rare diseases. These include the severity modifier, flexibility in uncertainty considerations and the emphasis on a comprehensive evidence base including real-world, qualitative, surrogate and expert evidence. These updates seek to mitigate the barriers faced by rare disease technologies while maintaining an evidence-based, robust and proportionate evaluation approach.</p><p> </p><p>The 2022 England Rare Diseases Action Plan was published following the NICE methods and processes review. The 2022 Action Plan includes actions to capitalise on the changes made to NICE’s methods and processes to ensure that NICE continues to support the rapid adoption of effective new treatments for National Health Service patients with rare diseases. The impact of these changes is being assessed and an update will be provided in the 2024 England Rare Diseases Action Plan.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson grouped question UIN 9850 question first answered 23/01/2024 09:25:27 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1682492

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
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	Drugs: Cost Benefit Analysis
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has had discussions with (a) HM Treasury and (b) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the adoption of a discount rate of 1.5% when assessing the future (a) benefits and (b) costs of medicines to align with the guidance set out in the Green Book.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	9852
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2024 answer text <p>The Department of Health and Social Care has had a number of discussions with HM Treasury and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about the discount rate used in the evaluation of medicines, including as part of the 2022 review of NICE’s methods and processes for health technology evaluation.</p><p>Through the methods review, NICE concluded that it was appropriate to maintain the reference case discount rate of 3.5% and has retained the flexibility in its methods for its committees to apply a lower non-reference case discount rate of 1.5% per year for both cost and health effects in exceptional circumstances. The decision on whether a non-reference case discount rate should be applied is taken by NICE’s Appraisal Committees.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 19/01/2024 10:08:46 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1671599

registered interest
date	20/11/2023
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	Meat
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Food Standards Agency has made an assessment of the potential impact of changing the legal definition of wishbone meat.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	2601
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>There is no legal definition of wishbone meat. The Food Standards Agency has not made an assessment of the potential impact of introducing such a legal definition.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 27/11/2023 17:12:00 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1667694

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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	Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that funding for biomedical research into myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is adequate; and whether he plans to take steps to establish a centre of excellence on ME to (a) promote understanding of and (b) develop effective treatments for that illness.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	236
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2023 answer text <p>The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR has provided around £4.4 million of programme funding for research on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) since 2011.</p><p>Through the NIHR, the Department has co-funded, with the Medical Research Council (MRC) a £3.2 million study called DecodeME into the genetic underpinning of ME/CFS. The study will analyse samples from 25,000 people with ME/CFS to search for genetic differences that may indicate underlying causes or an increased risk of developing the condition. This study aims to increase our understanding of the disease and therefore contribute to the research base on diagnostic tests and targeted treatments for ME/CFS.</p><p>The Department and the NIHR has no specific plans to establish a centre of excellence for ME research. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including biomedical research for ME/CFS. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 17/11/2023 12:25:59 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1667713

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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	Novel Foods: Regulation
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 page 20 of his Department's food strategy white paper, published on June 2022, what his planned timetable is for when the Food Standards Agency will review the novel foods regulatory framework.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	238
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2023 answer text <p>The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is committed to maintaining the United Kingdom’s high standards of food and feed safety whilst also working hard to support innovation across the food system. The FSA has a programme of continuous improvement and reform that has been in place since the launch of the Regulated Products Service in January 2021.</p><p> </p><p>In June, the FSA published a summary of the findings of the review of the Novel Foods Regulatory Framework. Following this review, the FSA has focused resource to look at potential future options for more fundamental reform of the food and feed regulatory system. This has included surveying stakeholders across all regulated product regimes to gain their views on potential reforms.</p><p> </p><p>The FSA is in the process of analysing this information to develop reform plans and will provide further detail on these, including timetables, at the public FSA Board meetings in the future.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 16/11/2023 12:23:41 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1667714

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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	Novel Foods: Regulation
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 his Department's food strategy white paper, published on June 2022, what steps the Food Standards Agency is taking to help food producers conduct (a) safe and (b) limited tastings of novel food products.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	239
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2023 answer text <p>Under retained EU Regulation 2015/2283, a novel food is only deemed safe to be placed on the market in Great Britain after the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has processed an application for the authorisation of the novel food.</p><p> </p><p>For foods that are still in the research and development phase prior to authorisation guidance issued by the FSA Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes in 2002 confirms that taste trials are permitted as long as they are not conducted for marketing or advertising purposes.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 16/11/2023 12:37:36 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1667715

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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	Novel Foods
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 Answer of 12 December 2022 to Question 105459 on Food: Research, what progress the Food Standards Agency has made in developing dedicated guidance materials for alternative protein companies developing novel foods and processes; and when he plans to publish that guidance.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	240
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2023 answer text <p>The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has prepared an information page for its website that will provide guidance to companies producing cell-cultivated products that wish to apply for regulatory approval. This will be published before the end of November 2023.</p><p> </p><p>This page will outline information about the FSA’s regulated product application service, the regulations that apply to these cell-cultivated products, and information about labelling implications. Alongside this, the FSA has been providing pre-application support to businesses on an individual basis due to the novelty and complexity of this technology. This one-to-one engagement with business and industry has helped to inform and tailor our online guidance which will be available shortly.</p><p> </p><p>The FSA is also considering producing additional regulatory guidance for alternative protein producers as part of its wider aim to support business innovation whilst ensuring that food is safe and what it says it is. In addition to this, a new UK Research and Innovation project was announced on 9 November 2023 that will work on new safety rules for the United States of America, Singapore, United Kingdom and the European Union with a focus on creating standards for cell-cultivated protein.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 16/11/2023 12:39:36 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner