Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the levels of radon in Northern Ireland; and what steps they are taking to protect the public's health.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely on radon matters with counterparts in the Northern Ireland Civil Service. This includes coordination on the production of radon potential maps. These maps are produced from radon measurements in homes that have been combined with the underlying geology to estimate the probability that a property in a particular location will exceed the Action Level for homes. Radon potential is also a good indicator for most workplaces and informs health and safety and building regulations.
The radon measurements that contribute to radon potential maps are from those conducted by private householders and landlords through UKHSA’s radon measurement service. The most recent radon potential map for Northern Ireland was published in 2015. This indicated that 155,000 homes (about one in five in Northern Ireland) are now in ‘Affected Areas’. These are places where some households are exposed to radon at a level where we recommend protective action.
A revised radon potential map for Great Britain was published in December 2022. This was prompted by significant increases in the number of results available, a major revision of the geological data from British Geological Survey and an updated statistical method. The Northern Ireland map from 2015 already used the revised statistical method, the geological data have not changed and the increase in radon results in homes has not been sufficient to justify re-mapping.
Numerous Government organisations in Northern Ireland are closely involved in the production of the second edition of the National Radon Action Plan (NRAP). This ensures that any territorial differences in the arrangements for radon control, regulations and messaging are considered. The Environmental Public Health Protection Network also provides a forum for UKHSA and public health in Northern Ireland to ensure that radon is included in campaigns such as indoor air quality.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the effectiveness of hygiene regimes used in vehicles transporting sugar beet.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made. Food Business Operators have an obligation to ensure their activities comply with food law requirements and produce food that is safe.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many recorded breaches there have been of the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995 since 2013.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Standards Agency does not hold a list of formal action taken against legislative non-compliance of The Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995. The enforcement of food law is delegated to competent authorities including local authorities. Any data that is collected would be held centrally by each local authority responsible for conducting food hygiene official controls.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of new therapies for the treatment of epilepsy.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made. However, in December 2021 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published Cenobamate for treating focal onset seizures in epilepsy, which recommends cenobamate as an option for treating focal onset seizures in adults with drug-resistant epilepsy. A copy of the guidance is attached.
In April 2022, NICE also published Epilepsies in children, young people and adults, which aims to improve diagnosis and treatment for different seizure types and epilepsy syndromes and includes recommendations on the principles of treatment, treating epileptic seizures and non-pharmacological treatments. It also includes information on the medications which should be used to treat various types of epileptic seizures. A copy of the guideline is attached. NICE’s guidelines represent best practice and are expected to be taken into account by clinicians in the treatment of individual patients.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the extent of the rollout of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) in England.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2021, the number of people initiating or continuing HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in England was 61,092 or 69.6% of those identified as requiring the treatment at sexual health services. PrEP has been initiated or continued for residents of all upper tier local authorities where the need has been identified.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress towards developing a universal flu vaccine.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) conducts annual horizon scanning on new vaccines in development and is aware of efforts to develop a universal influenza vaccine. Subject to progress on such a vaccine and potential licensing, the JCVI will engage with the relevant manufacturers via its influenza subcommittee.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of cases of type 2 diabetes since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has yet been made, as data collected by the National Diabetes Audit for 2021 to 2022 has not been finalised.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the risk to the public from Omicron subvariants driving a wave of COVID-19 this winter.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) regularly undertakes risk assessments of emerging COVID-19 strains with academic partners, combining evidence from laboratory experiments, domestic sequencing in the United Kingdom and international datasets. These assessments carry high uncertainty inherent to these sources of data. The most recent assessment, The SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England: Technical briefing 47 was published on 28 October 2022 and copy is attached.
There are currently several sub-lineages of Omicron in circulation globally, each carrying a common set of mutations. Laboratory evidence suggests that these mutations make these sub-lineages more resilient to neutralisation by antibodies elicited from vaccination and past infection. The assessment suggests with moderate confidence that these strains could contribute to increases in cases and hospitalisations in the UK.
The Omicron BQ.1 strain, while currently low in prevalence, accounts for an increasing share of UK COVID-19 cases. The XBB is present in low numbers in the UK, although it has the potential to increase. In Singapore, XBB is now the dominant variant and increased hospitalisations, though transmission attenuated quickly.
During winter, there is typically increased circulation of respiratory viruses, which may contribute to the growth of Omicron sub-lineages and increase the resurgence risk of COVID-19. Autumn booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines have therefore been offered to those aged 50 years old or over or at risk of severe outcomes.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of work being undertaken to reduce the incidence of dengue infection carried by mosquitoes.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
All cases of dengue identified in the United Kingdom are acquired abroad and the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory has accredited, reliable tests for the infection. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works with local authorities, port health and Animal and Plant Health border inspection teams to monitor points of entry for the mosquito species currently implicated in local cases of dengue which occasionally occur in the rest of Europe. Since 2016, these invasive mosquito vectors have been found in Southern England on six occasions and a cross-Government contingency plan was initiated to reduce chances of establishment in the UK. The UKHSA also supports efforts across Europe to monitor dengue vectors and assists UK overseas territories in managing dengue outbreaks, particularly in the Caribbean.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the work by Precision Life into possible genetic risk factors associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made. However, we are funding research to understand the genetic risk factors relating to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council fund a £3.2 million study, ‘DecodeME’, to analyse samples from 25,000 people with ME/CFS to identify any genetic differences which may indicate underlying causes or an increased risk of developing the condition.