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 printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1628691

registered interest
date	17/05/2023
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	Processed Food
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answers by the Minister for Primary Care and Public Health on 17 March and 24 April (HC163765, HC180118, and HC180748), what steps they are taking (1) domestically, and (2) internationally, to produce a “universally agreed definition of ultra-processed foods”.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL7901
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2023 answer text <p>The United Kingdom’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) is currently carrying out a scoping review of the evidence on processed foods and health and aims to publish its initial assessment in July 2023. This will include evaluating existing classifications of processed foods, including ultra-processed foods and the NOVA classification. We are not aware of any plans to agree a definition internationally.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 23/05/2023 14:27:05 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1608456

registered interest
date	28/03/2023
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	Gonorrhoea
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to limit the spread of extensively antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea (1) in the general population, (2) in vulnerable populations, and (3) among elderly populations.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL6904
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/04/2023 answer text <p>The effectiveness of treatment for gonorrhoea continues to be threatened by the development of resistance to the last-line treatment, ceftriaxone. The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) Gonococcal Resistance to Antimicrobials Surveillance Programme (GRASP) includes a suite of testing and surveillance systems to detect and monitor antimicrobial resistance in <em>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</em> and potential treatment failures. GRASP reports annually on drug resistance in <em>N. gonorrhoeae</em> in England and Wales and has directly influenced changes in treatment guidelines on three occasions.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, all primary diagnostic laboratories test gonococcal isolates for susceptibility to ceftriaxone and refer suspected resistant isolates to the UKHSA national reference laboratory for confirmatory testing and follow-up in real-time. UKHSA has published guidance on managing cases of ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea and performs a risk assessment for each case. If there is a risk of transmission within England, UKHSA instigates an Incident Response to contain spread.</p><p> </p><p>This applies to all population groups, including vulnerable and elderly populations, as the approach to tackling antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea is universal across England.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 06/04/2023 14:35:37 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1604223

registered interest
date	14/03/2023
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	Animal Experiments
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to end the use of animals to test products including (1) vaccines, and (2) pharmaceutical products for bacterial contamination, and to use biochemical methods instead for these processes.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL6448
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is committed to the principles of the three Rs: replacement, refinement and reduction, developed by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals (NC3Rs). This commitment extends to both the research undertaken at their laboratories at South Mimms, and through their interactions with stakeholders. Where Marketing Authorisation Holders propose to use animals in tests required for ensuring the safety of medicines, the MHRA requests that non-animal alternatives are investigated and adopted where appropriate for patient safety.</p><p>The MHRA is also contributor to a revision of the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for Biologicals and Vaccines under the leadership of the NC3Rs. These revisions propose that the WHO guidelines adopt the principles of the three Rs and include a general chapter on how regulators and Marketing Authorisation Holders can end the use of animal testing for biological medicines including pharmaceutical products for bacterial contamination and vaccines. These revised guidelines will be presented to the Autumn 2023 summit of the WHO for the consideration by committee and WHO members.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 28/03/2023 11:39:16 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1602990

registered interest
date	09/03/2023
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	Food: Arsenic
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, following changes in EU standards regarding the maximum level of arsenic in food, what plans they have to amend the standards for maximum level of arsenic in food.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL6291
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2023 answer text <p>There are no immediate plans to revise the standards for arsenic in food. To protect consumers there are currently maximum levels in place for inorganic arsenic in foods such as rice which contribute to overall consumer exposure. We will always maintain strong rules on arsenic levels in food and keep our position under very close review guided by the risk analysis undertaken by the Food Standards Agency. We work closely with regulators across Europe and the rest of the world to ensure that we take account of global best practice and prioritise safety for our citizens.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 20/03/2023 12:18:46 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1586044

registered interest
date	09/02/2023
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	Food: Regulation
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 research paper An approach to conflicts of interest in UK food regulatory institutions, published in Nature Food on 30 December 2022; and what plans they have, if any, to address any risk of any conflicts of interest for members of food policy advisory committees, including in the Food Standards Agency and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL5588
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/02/2023 answer text <p>The Food Standards Agency (FSA) strives to be an open and transparent organisation. When people provide formal advice through their scientific committees and advisory bodies, there are clear processes in place so that their interests are declared and this information is publicly available.</p><p>FSA Board members also declare their interests. These are scrutinised as part of the appointment process and continually updated. This information is also available on the FSA’s website and where relevant to a formal Board or Committee discussion, it is documented at the public meeting.</p><p>Recruiting people to the FSA Board and Committees who have experience and insights from across the food system helps the FSA deliver its mission to keep food safe. The paper did not identify any evidence that bias arising from conflicts of interest has influenced the work of the FSA.</p><p>The FSA will keep its approach to managing potential conflicts of interest up to date, and in line with all relevant Government guidance. It will also continue to strive to ensure that decisions are made with consumer interests front and centre of our thinking and to be transparent in our decision-making.</p><p>For committees listed on the Public Appointments Order in Council 2016 where members are appointed by Ministers, such as the Department for Environment, Food &amp; Rural Affairs Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment which adheres to the principles and guidance set down in the Governance Code on Public Appointments. This includes reminding candidates of the need to declare any conflicts of interest at application and interview stage, and ensuring candidates are familiar with Nolan principles.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 21/02/2023 15:24:39 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1586045

registered interest
date	09/02/2023
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	Infant Foods: Marketing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to enforce the ban on marketing baby (under six month) child milk formula in the UK; and whether they plan to extend the ban across all child milk formula.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL5589
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/02/2023 answer text <p>In England overall responsibility for enforcement of the legislation governing infant formula and follow-on formula, including the marketing restrictions which apply to infant formula, rests with Local Authorities. Local authority enforcement officers will usually be the Trading Standards or environmental health department of the local authority or Port Health Authority.</p><p> </p><p>In the United Kingdom, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for regulating advertising across traditional forms of media (print, radio, television) through its Broadcast and online advertising through its non-broadcast codes. The ASA’s rules on formula advertising are backstopped by Trading Standards. This means that the ASA can refer cases if necessary for Trading Standards to take a view on whether there are breaches of the law and apply tougher sanctions as appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to extend the restrictions on the marketing of infant formula to include other breastmilk substitutes.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 16/02/2023 10:51:02 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1583095

registered interest
date	01/02/2023
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	Antimicrobials: Drug Resistance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor and mitigate the impact of antimicrobial resistance on marginalised communities in the UK, including (1) people of migrant, refugee or asylum seeker status, (2) prisoners, and (3) homeless people.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL5293
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2023 answer text <p>The UK Health Security Agency’s antimicrobial resistance (AMR) programme is committed to tackling and reducing antimicrobial health inequalities nationwide. Over the years, the AMR health inequalities workstream has taken a systematic approach to increasing our work to understand and address health inequalities in relation to AMR. This involves improving our understanding of the association between health inequalities and antimicrobial usage and resistance; developing a health inequalities and AMR engagement strategy including learning from the wider public health community; and producing recommendations for public health action.</p><p> </p><p>Future projects include surveying knowledge, attitudes, and health-seeking behaviours towards antibiotics in different populations, identifying and improving surveillance reporting gaps required to understand the impact of AMR and AMR-targeted interventions on Core20PLUS populations, and publishing the health inequalities scoping review. The Core20PLUS populations include vulnerable migrants, people in contact with the justice system and people experiencing homelessness.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, antibiotic consumption data within prisons, which is grouped with “other community settings”, are monitored and published annually within the antimicrobial consumption chapter of the <em>English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance (ESPAUR) report</em>.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 14/02/2023 11:53:34 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1583144

registered interest
date	01/02/2023
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	Cancer: Processed Food
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 ultra-processed food and cancer; and what steps they are taking to reduce the consumption such foods.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL5294
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2023 answer text <p>The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition is currently carrying out a scoping review of the evidence on processed foods and health, including cancer, and aims to publish a position statement in the summer of 2023.</p><p>Diets high in foods classified as processed are often also high in calories, sugar, saturated fat and salt and low in fibre, which is associated with an increased risk of chronic illnesses including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. The Government encourages everyone to have a healthy balanced diet in line with the United Kingdom’s healthy eating model, the Eatwell Guide, which shows that foods high in fat, salt or sugar should be eaten less often or in small amounts.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 09/02/2023 12:34:26 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1583145

registered interest
date	01/02/2023
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	Processed Food: Standards
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to remove the Good Choice badge from ultra-processed food products, and (2) to introduce dietary guidelines addressing ultra-processed food and drink.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL5295
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2023 answer text <p>We do not currently have plans to change the way the Good Choice badge is used. The Good Choice badge helps people identify healthier options using the NHS Food Scanner application and when shopping in store and online. The application helps families to see what's in their food and drinks and suggests healthier alternatives, where these exist, that can help them cut down on sugar, saturated fat and salt. Together, the application and wider Better Health campaign support families on their journey towards having a healthier diet, as making the step to the healthiest option may be too far for many people in one move.</p><p>Government dietary guidelines are based on advice from expert groups, including the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). SACN is currently carrying out a scoping review of the evidence on processed foods and health and aims to publish a position statement in the summer of 2023.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 09/02/2023 12:35:17 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1581698

registered interest
date	30/01/2023
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	Processed Food: Sugar
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the sugar content of processed food, following the finding by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities that targets for sugar reduction since 2015 have not been met.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL5182
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2023 answer text <p>The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is considering the next steps for the sugar reduction programme and will continue to provide expert advice to the Government on this. It is expected the Government’s policies to tackle obesity will support efforts for sugar reduction. These include regulations restricting the placement of products high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) in key selling locations in stores and online, which came into force on 1 October 2022 and are the single most impactful obesity policy at reducing children’s calorie consumption. Furthermore, the Government will introduce restrictions on the advertising of HFSS products on TV before 9pm and on paid-for advertising of these products online on 1 October 2025. A key intention of this policy is to incentivise reformulation of HFSS products, so these are no longer captured by the restrictions.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 08/02/2023 17:07:25 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle