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1717437

registered interest
date	13/05/2024
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	Pharmacy: Drugs
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) level, and (2) geographical distribution, of drug shortages in pharmacies.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL4602
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>The Department monitors and manages medicine supply issues at a national level, so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. We receive notifications of supply issues from United Kingdom medicine license holders. In 2022 and 2023, the number of notifications of supply issues remained broadly stable, at approximately 1,600 per year.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 20/05/2024 15:11:51 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1717438

registered interest
date	13/05/2024
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: Women
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index which indicated that British women are sadder and more stressed than their European counterparts, what steps they are taking to improve women's health and wellbeing.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL4603
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>The Women’s Health Strategy sets out the Government’s plans for boosting the health and wellbeing of women and girls, and for improving how the health and care system engages and listens to all women.</p><p>Achievements since the launch of the strategy include: appointing the first Women’s Health Ambassador for England; investing £25 million of funding into the expansion of women’s health hubs to improve women’s access to services and to create efficiencies for the National Health Service; reducing the cost of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) through the launch of the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate; and creating a women’s health area on the NHS website, to bring together women’s health content and create a first port of call for women seeking information.</p><p>We are focused on delivering our priorities for 2024, which include improving care for menstrual problems, including endometriosis, and maternity care, expanding women’s health hubs, tackling disparities and supporting the most vulnerable groups, and boosting research. Recent progress includes launching baby loss certificates to support patients who have experienced a loss of pregnancy before 24 weeks, continuing to roll out women’s health hubs across the country, and running a national media campaign on periods and menopause to encourage women to contact their general practice, if symptoms are affecting their life.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 22/05/2024 15:40:08 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1715974

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
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	Alcoholic Drinks: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the World Health Organization report A focus on adolescent substance use in Europe, central Asia and Canada, published on 25 April, what plans they have to address the high levels of child alcohol consumption in England.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL4428
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2024 answer text <p>Guidance from England’s Chief Medical Officer for healthcare professionals is clear that an alcohol-free childhood is the healthiest and best option. The Department promotes this through online platforms such as the NHS.UK website, the Talk to FRANK online resource, and the GOV.UK website. Local authorities promote these guidelines as part of their public health duties. As part of the Government’s 10-year drug strategy, the Department has an ambition to support 5,000 more children and young people in receiving treatment than at the start of the strategy in March 2022.</p><p>The Department for Education’s statutory guidance, <em>Relationships education, relationships and sex education and health education</em>, became mandatory in September 2020. Through this, education on drugs, alcohol, and tobacco became compulsory at state-funded primary and secondary schools, teaching children and young people how to manage influences and pressure, and keep themselves healthy and safe. To deter individuals selling alcohol to a person aged under 18 years old, the maximum fine for the offence of persistently selling alcohol to children was increased from £10,000 to £20,000, under section 147A(8) of the 2003 Licensing Act.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 17/05/2024 11:50:11 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1715441

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
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	HIV Infection: Plastic Surgery
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of individuals contracting HIV from contaminated blood in unregulated cosmetic procedures.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL4302
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2024 answer text <p>No assessment has been made of the risk of individuals contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from contaminated blood in unregulated cosmetic procedures. The Government is developing a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England. This will make it an offence for an individual to carry out non-surgical cosmetic procedures without a licence, and will require people who offer procedures to be suitably trained and qualified, hold appropriate indemnity cover, and operate from premises which meet the scheme’s standards of hygiene, infection control, and cleanliness.</p><p>Following a public consultation on the scope of the scheme in 2023, the Department is working closely with stakeholders to develop detailed proposals for the licensing scheme. The scheme will complement existing legislative safeguards for certain skin piercing activities and other treatments, such as ear piercing, tattooing, acupuncture, and electrolysis. The Local Government Act 2003 and Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 give local authorities the power to register practitioners and premises, and to make and enforce byelaws. Where adopted, these byelaws protect the public by setting standards for the cleanliness and hygiene of premises, practitioners, and equipment, thereby reducing the risk of the transmission of blood-borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B and C.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 09/05/2024 11:31:33 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1713307

registered interest
date	23/04/2024
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	Breastfeeding: Breast Cancer
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of low rates of breastfeeding on incidences of breast cancer.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL4048
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>Improving early diagnosis of cancer, including breast cancer, is a priority for the National Health Service. The public health benefits of breastfeeding for child and maternal health are significant and well established. Evidence suggests a range of potential benefits, for example, research published in the British Medical Journal found breastfeeding gave protection against breast cancer.</p><p>We want to ensure that every parent and carer understands the benefits of breastfeeding and has access to the high-quality infant feeding services they need, in their local area, to achieve their breastfeeding goals. Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme, we are investing £50 million to increase the range of specialist support, which is enabling parents to access face-to-face and virtual support whenever they need it.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 15/05/2024 16:49:30 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1713308

registered interest
date	23/04/2024
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	Breast Cancer: Alcoholic Drinks
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the link between women’s increasing consumption of alcohol and incidences of breast cancer.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL4049
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>Public Health England’s evidence review, <em>‘The Public Health Burden of Alcohol and the Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Alcohol Control Policies’</em>, which was published in 2016 and updated in 2018, found there is strong evidence for an association between alcohol consumption and female breast cancer, and that for breast cancer, any level of drinking increases your risk so there is no ‘safe’ level of drinking. A copy of the review is attached.</p><p>The Government believes in informing and empowering citizens and has a responsibility to provide the most up to date, clear information to enable people to make informed choices about their drinking. The 2016 United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines provide the public with the most up to date scientific information and highlight the risk of a range of health problems, including breast cancer, from alcohol consumption.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 29/04/2024 16:52:17 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham attachment 1 file name alcohol_public_health_burden_evidence_review_update_2018 (2).pdf title alcohol_public_health_burden_evidence_review
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1713309

registered interest
date	23/04/2024
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	Breastfeeding
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to put in place policies that encourage breastfeeding, including supportive work environments where women are able to breastfeed or express milk.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL4050
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government’s vision, set out in the policy paper, <em>The Best Start for Life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days</em>, is that every parent and carer has access to high quality infant feeding services in their local area. A copy of the paper is attached.</p><p>Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme, we are investing £50 million in infant feeding services, enabling participating local authorities to design and deliver a blended offer of advice and support in line with local needs. The investment is being used to increase the range of advice and specialist support available, helping to ensure all mothers and families can meet their breastfeeding goals. We are also using programme investment to increase the capacity of the National Breastfeeding Helpline so that a greater number of families are able to access this support. In March 2024, we launched a trial of extended helpline opening hours so that support and advice will be available at any time of the day or night, every day of the year.</p><p>Regulations are in place that require employers to provide a suitable area for breastfeeding mothers. This must be hygienic and private so they can express milk if they choose to and include somewhere to store their milk.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 29/04/2024 16:47:06 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham attachment 1 file name The_best_start_for_life_a_vision_for_the_1_001_critical_days (9).pdf title The_best_start_for_life_a_vision
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1712648

registered interest
date	22/04/2024
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	Pharmacy: Rural Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many community pharmacies in rural areas closed in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL4009
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2024 answer text <p>The below table shows the total number of community pharmacies that have closed and opened in rural areas in England, as defined by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ <em>Guide to applying the Rural Urban Classification to data</em>, each year from 2019 to 2023:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Number of rural pharmacies closed</p></td><td><p>Number of rural pharmacies opened</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>13</p></td><td><p>3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023</p></td><td><p>13</p></td><td><p>8</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Community pharmacies are private businesses, contracted to provide National Health Service pharmaceutical services. My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is responsible for ensuring that patients can access medicines, and the Department is monitoring changes to the market closely. In areas where there are fewer pharmacies, the Pharmacy Access Scheme provides financial support to the pharmacies that are present.</p><p>Every three years, local authorities in England undertake pharmaceutical needs assessments for their areas, to ensure provision continues to meet their population’s needs. Integrated care boards have regard to those assessments when commissioning services, and where a pharmacy closure impacts access to services, a new contractor can apply to open a pharmacy in the area.</p><p>When a local pharmacy closes, patients can choose to access pharmaceutical services through any alternative pharmacy, including any of the over 400 distance selling pharmacies that are required to deliver medicines to patients free of charge. In some rural areas, doctors are permitted to dispense medicines.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham grouped question UIN HL4010 question first answered 30/04/2024 15:50:48 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1712649

registered interest
date	22/04/2024
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	Pharmacy: Rural Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the long-term financial viability of community pharmacies in rural areas.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL4010
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2024 answer text <p>The below table shows the total number of community pharmacies that have closed and opened in rural areas in England, as defined by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ <em>Guide to applying the Rural Urban Classification to data</em>, each year from 2019 to 2023:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Number of rural pharmacies closed</p></td><td><p>Number of rural pharmacies opened</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>13</p></td><td><p>3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023</p></td><td><p>13</p></td><td><p>8</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Community pharmacies are private businesses, contracted to provide National Health Service pharmaceutical services. My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is responsible for ensuring that patients can access medicines, and the Department is monitoring changes to the market closely. In areas where there are fewer pharmacies, the Pharmacy Access Scheme provides financial support to the pharmacies that are present.</p><p>Every three years, local authorities in England undertake pharmaceutical needs assessments for their areas, to ensure provision continues to meet their population’s needs. Integrated care boards have regard to those assessments when commissioning services, and where a pharmacy closure impacts access to services, a new contractor can apply to open a pharmacy in the area.</p><p>When a local pharmacy closes, patients can choose to access pharmaceutical services through any alternative pharmacy, including any of the over 400 distance selling pharmacies that are required to deliver medicines to patients free of charge. In some rural areas, doctors are permitted to dispense medicines.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham grouped question UIN HL4009 question first answered 30/04/2024 15:50:48 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1701989

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	Pharmacy: Rural Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact of rural pharmacy closures on access to primary care.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL3904
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2024 answer text <p>It is the statutory duty of every local authority in England to undertake pharmaceutical needs assessments for their areas including those that are rural in nature, every three years, to ensure provision continues to meet their population’s needs. Integrated care boards have regard to those assessments when commissioning services and where a pharmacy closure impacts on the access to services, a new contractor can apply to open a pharmacy in the area.</p><p>Patients who struggle to access pharmacy premises can access pharmacy services remotely through any of the over 400 online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver medicines free of charge. Alternatively, in some rural areas, doctors are permitted to dispense medication to patients.</p><p>The Pharmacy Access scheme provides additional funding to pharmacies in the areas where there are fewer pharmacies.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 26/04/2024 13:21:30 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans