Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish a full assessment of the interaction between Great Britain’s import policy in relation to Mercosur, the Windsor Framework, and the movement of meat and meat-containing products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay can export meat to Great Britain. Under Windsor Framework arrangements, meat moved from Great Britain to Northern Ireland via the red lane must comply with EU import requirements. Imported meat processed in Great Britain can move to Northern Ireland under the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme.Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to establish a formal real-time information-sharing system involving the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland (DAERA), the Food Standards Agency, the European Commission and the Government of Ireland for the exchange of import alerts, laboratory findings, establishment suspensions, food recalls and certificate failures affecting products of animal origin.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is negotiating a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement with the EU which will strengthen cooperation on biosecurity and public health. Access to relevant EU agencies, systems and databases will enable real-time information sharing on SPS risks, including food safety issues, emerging threats and disease outbreaks. The precise arrangements, including for Northern Ireland, remain subject to ongoing negotiations.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what safeguards are in place to prevent meat or meat ingredients admitted into Great Britain under production standards or import conditions that differ from those applying in the European Union from entering supply chains serving Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Rest of World meat and composite meat products, subject to animal and plant health rules, have country of origin requirements, regardless of how they enter Northern Ireland. These requirements are verified by standard movement procedures before entering Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS) is designed to ensure that retail food products that move from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland do not move on to the European Union. Products moved outside of NIRMS require certificates to show they can move into the EU.
Where a product is transformed and sufficiently processed in GB, GB is the origin of the product for the purpose of NIRMS, regardless of the origin of the individual ingredients.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the verification of the origin of meat ingredients in composite and prepared foods, including burgers, sausages, nuggets, pies, sandwiches and ready meals, that are moved from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Rest of World meat and composite meat products, subject to animal and plant health rules, have country of origin requirements, regardless of how they enter Northern Ireland. These requirements are verified by standard movement procedures before entering Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS) is designed to ensure that retail food products that move from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland do not move on to the European Union. Products moved outside of NIRMS require certificates to show they can move into the EU.
Where a product is transformed and sufficiently processed in GB, GB is the origin of the product for the purpose of NIRMS, regardless of the origin of the individual ingredients.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of monensin in cattle feed and cattle-finishing systems in Mercosur countries; and whether they will publish the evidence and analysis relied upon in reaching that assessment.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has received guarantees from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay that beef exported to Great Britain (GB) is not from cattle treated with certain antimicrobial medicinal products. Defra is conducting an in-country audit of Brazil’s controls, the report of which will be published. Bolivia is not approved to export beef to GB.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce prescribing restrictions and ensure consistent access to appropriate emollients for patients living with atopic dermatitis.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Specifically on atopic dermatitis, and the prescribing of appropriate emollients, the relevant doctor or healthcare professional is responsible for working with their patient and deciding on the best course of treatment. Prescribers take account of appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards when making decisions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also publishes a range of guidance on atopic dermatitis and other skin conditions for commissioners and healthcare professionals, with recommendations for diagnosis and referral, which are available at the NICE website.
On dermatology care in general, waiting times, and the proposal for a national service framework, I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer that I provided her on 13 January in response to Question HL13259, which, for ease of reference, is reproduced below:
Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. The Government will consider clinical specialities for future waves of modern service frameworks, including allergy, dermatology, which includes chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and immunology. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on disease burden, care variation, economic impact, and where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity.
The Department recognises the potential benefits of virtual clinics in improving access to specialist care for conditions like CSU. A central part of our 10-Year Health Plan is moving care closer to home, and we recognise that we need to do this while retaining access to specialist support. Trusts should provide the infrastructure and resources to facilitate virtual consultations, but this should not replace face-to-face care where it is more appropriate, dependent on clinical need, or preferred by individual patients.
NHS England’s service specification for specialised dermatology services for adults and children is designed to reduce regional disparities in care for CSU by setting consistent national standards for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The specification ensures that all patients, regardless of location, have access to evidence-based interventions and specialist expertise, including advanced therapies where clinically appropriate. The specification addresses historical variations in service provision and supports equitable access across integrated care systems. This approach helps to improve outcomes for patients with CSU and ensures a more uniform level of care throughout England.
Additionally, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme is working to improve capacity and waiting times through its established Further Faster programme. This programme brings together hospital trust clinicians and operational teams with the challenge of collectively going ‘further and faster’ to transform patient pathways, reduce unnecessary follow-up outpatient appointments, and improve access and waiting times for patients.
A Further Faster handbook for dermatology has been produced, to share best practice and support National Health Service dermatology teams to reduce the number of Did Not Attend appointments, reduce unnecessary follow ups and, where appropriate, reduce the number of outpatient appointments by booking patients straight to tests, helping to free up capacity for patients in need of specialist dermatology services.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement a new NHS England and Department of Health and Social Care-led national service framework for dermatology.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Specifically on atopic dermatitis, and the prescribing of appropriate emollients, the relevant doctor or healthcare professional is responsible for working with their patient and deciding on the best course of treatment. Prescribers take account of appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards when making decisions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also publishes a range of guidance on atopic dermatitis and other skin conditions for commissioners and healthcare professionals, with recommendations for diagnosis and referral, which are available at the NICE website.
On dermatology care in general, waiting times, and the proposal for a national service framework, I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer that I provided her on 13 January in response to Question HL13259, which, for ease of reference, is reproduced below:
Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. The Government will consider clinical specialities for future waves of modern service frameworks, including allergy, dermatology, which includes chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and immunology. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on disease burden, care variation, economic impact, and where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity.
The Department recognises the potential benefits of virtual clinics in improving access to specialist care for conditions like CSU. A central part of our 10-Year Health Plan is moving care closer to home, and we recognise that we need to do this while retaining access to specialist support. Trusts should provide the infrastructure and resources to facilitate virtual consultations, but this should not replace face-to-face care where it is more appropriate, dependent on clinical need, or preferred by individual patients.
NHS England’s service specification for specialised dermatology services for adults and children is designed to reduce regional disparities in care for CSU by setting consistent national standards for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The specification ensures that all patients, regardless of location, have access to evidence-based interventions and specialist expertise, including advanced therapies where clinically appropriate. The specification addresses historical variations in service provision and supports equitable access across integrated care systems. This approach helps to improve outcomes for patients with CSU and ensures a more uniform level of care throughout England.
Additionally, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme is working to improve capacity and waiting times through its established Further Faster programme. This programme brings together hospital trust clinicians and operational teams with the challenge of collectively going ‘further and faster’ to transform patient pathways, reduce unnecessary follow-up outpatient appointments, and improve access and waiting times for patients.
A Further Faster handbook for dermatology has been produced, to share best practice and support National Health Service dermatology teams to reduce the number of Did Not Attend appointments, reduce unnecessary follow ups and, where appropriate, reduce the number of outpatient appointments by booking patients straight to tests, helping to free up capacity for patients in need of specialist dermatology services.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support more dermatology care being delivered in community settings, where clinically appropriate.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Specifically on atopic dermatitis, and the prescribing of appropriate emollients, the relevant doctor or healthcare professional is responsible for working with their patient and deciding on the best course of treatment. Prescribers take account of appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards when making decisions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also publishes a range of guidance on atopic dermatitis and other skin conditions for commissioners and healthcare professionals, with recommendations for diagnosis and referral, which are available at the NICE website.
On dermatology care in general, waiting times, and the proposal for a national service framework, I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer that I provided her on 13 January in response to Question HL13259, which, for ease of reference, is reproduced below:
Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. The Government will consider clinical specialities for future waves of modern service frameworks, including allergy, dermatology, which includes chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and immunology. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on disease burden, care variation, economic impact, and where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity.
The Department recognises the potential benefits of virtual clinics in improving access to specialist care for conditions like CSU. A central part of our 10-Year Health Plan is moving care closer to home, and we recognise that we need to do this while retaining access to specialist support. Trusts should provide the infrastructure and resources to facilitate virtual consultations, but this should not replace face-to-face care where it is more appropriate, dependent on clinical need, or preferred by individual patients.
NHS England’s service specification for specialised dermatology services for adults and children is designed to reduce regional disparities in care for CSU by setting consistent national standards for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The specification ensures that all patients, regardless of location, have access to evidence-based interventions and specialist expertise, including advanced therapies where clinically appropriate. The specification addresses historical variations in service provision and supports equitable access across integrated care systems. This approach helps to improve outcomes for patients with CSU and ensures a more uniform level of care throughout England.
Additionally, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme is working to improve capacity and waiting times through its established Further Faster programme. This programme brings together hospital trust clinicians and operational teams with the challenge of collectively going ‘further and faster’ to transform patient pathways, reduce unnecessary follow-up outpatient appointments, and improve access and waiting times for patients.
A Further Faster handbook for dermatology has been produced, to share best practice and support National Health Service dermatology teams to reduce the number of Did Not Attend appointments, reduce unnecessary follow ups and, where appropriate, reduce the number of outpatient appointments by booking patients straight to tests, helping to free up capacity for patients in need of specialist dermatology services.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of waiting times for people with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis to access specialist dermatology care.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Specifically on atopic dermatitis, and the prescribing of appropriate emollients, the relevant doctor or healthcare professional is responsible for working with their patient and deciding on the best course of treatment. Prescribers take account of appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards when making decisions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also publishes a range of guidance on atopic dermatitis and other skin conditions for commissioners and healthcare professionals, with recommendations for diagnosis and referral, which are available at the NICE website.
On dermatology care in general, waiting times, and the proposal for a national service framework, I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer that I provided her on 13 January in response to Question HL13259, which, for ease of reference, is reproduced below:
Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. The Government will consider clinical specialities for future waves of modern service frameworks, including allergy, dermatology, which includes chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and immunology. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on disease burden, care variation, economic impact, and where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity.
The Department recognises the potential benefits of virtual clinics in improving access to specialist care for conditions like CSU. A central part of our 10-Year Health Plan is moving care closer to home, and we recognise that we need to do this while retaining access to specialist support. Trusts should provide the infrastructure and resources to facilitate virtual consultations, but this should not replace face-to-face care where it is more appropriate, dependent on clinical need, or preferred by individual patients.
NHS England’s service specification for specialised dermatology services for adults and children is designed to reduce regional disparities in care for CSU by setting consistent national standards for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The specification ensures that all patients, regardless of location, have access to evidence-based interventions and specialist expertise, including advanced therapies where clinically appropriate. The specification addresses historical variations in service provision and supports equitable access across integrated care systems. This approach helps to improve outcomes for patients with CSU and ensures a more uniform level of care throughout England.
Additionally, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme is working to improve capacity and waiting times through its established Further Faster programme. This programme brings together hospital trust clinicians and operational teams with the challenge of collectively going ‘further and faster’ to transform patient pathways, reduce unnecessary follow-up outpatient appointments, and improve access and waiting times for patients.
A Further Faster handbook for dermatology has been produced, to share best practice and support National Health Service dermatology teams to reduce the number of Did Not Attend appointments, reduce unnecessary follow ups and, where appropriate, reduce the number of outpatient appointments by booking patients straight to tests, helping to free up capacity for patients in need of specialist dermatology services.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the diagnosis and treatment of atopic dermatitis in primary care.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Specifically on atopic dermatitis, and the prescribing of appropriate emollients, the relevant doctor or healthcare professional is responsible for working with their patient and deciding on the best course of treatment. Prescribers take account of appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards when making decisions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also publishes a range of guidance on atopic dermatitis and other skin conditions for commissioners and healthcare professionals, with recommendations for diagnosis and referral, which are available at the NICE website.
On dermatology care in general, waiting times, and the proposal for a national service framework, I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer that I provided her on 13 January in response to Question HL13259, which, for ease of reference, is reproduced below:
Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. The Government will consider clinical specialities for future waves of modern service frameworks, including allergy, dermatology, which includes chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and immunology. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on disease burden, care variation, economic impact, and where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity.
The Department recognises the potential benefits of virtual clinics in improving access to specialist care for conditions like CSU. A central part of our 10-Year Health Plan is moving care closer to home, and we recognise that we need to do this while retaining access to specialist support. Trusts should provide the infrastructure and resources to facilitate virtual consultations, but this should not replace face-to-face care where it is more appropriate, dependent on clinical need, or preferred by individual patients.
NHS England’s service specification for specialised dermatology services for adults and children is designed to reduce regional disparities in care for CSU by setting consistent national standards for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The specification ensures that all patients, regardless of location, have access to evidence-based interventions and specialist expertise, including advanced therapies where clinically appropriate. The specification addresses historical variations in service provision and supports equitable access across integrated care systems. This approach helps to improve outcomes for patients with CSU and ensures a more uniform level of care throughout England.
Additionally, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme is working to improve capacity and waiting times through its established Further Faster programme. This programme brings together hospital trust clinicians and operational teams with the challenge of collectively going ‘further and faster’ to transform patient pathways, reduce unnecessary follow-up outpatient appointments, and improve access and waiting times for patients.
A Further Faster handbook for dermatology has been produced, to share best practice and support National Health Service dermatology teams to reduce the number of Did Not Attend appointments, reduce unnecessary follow ups and, where appropriate, reduce the number of outpatient appointments by booking patients straight to tests, helping to free up capacity for patients in need of specialist dermatology services.