Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the chair and trustees of the Charity Commission about the appointment of trustees to the Actors' Benevolent Fund, and the application of section 80 of the Charities Act 2011.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
As an independent regulator, the Charity Commission for England & Wales carries out its functions independently of ministerial direction or Government control. His Majesty’s Government has, therefore, not discussed this case with the Charity Commission.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conduct of the Charity Commission in relation to its enquiries about the Actors' Benevolent Fund.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
As an independent regulator, the Charity Commission for England & Wales carries out its functions independently of ministerial direction or Government control. His Majesty’s Government has, therefore, not discussed this case with the Charity Commission.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how long is the term of office of the chair of the Charity Commission.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Chairman of the Charity Commission for England & Wales, Orlando Fraser KC, was appointed for a three-year term commencing on 25 April 2022 and ending on 24 April 2025. Ministers have the authority to reappoint the Chairman for a second term in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and the Governance Code for Public Appointments.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 13 July (HL9238), what is the makeup of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate’s internal scientific review committee; what process and criteria the scientific review committee follows to develop its assessment report; and what documents are provided to the scientific review committee by Veterinary Medicines Directorate assessors.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The scientific review committee for pharmaceutical products is chaired by the Head of Pharmaceuticals. Membership includes all pharmaceutical assessors (quality, safety and efficacy), representatives from Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacovigilance, and other government bodies including the UK Health Security Agency, Health and Safety Executive, Food Standards Agency, Environment Agency, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland. Other agencies may also be invited on an ad hoc basis.
The documents for the formal review meeting include the assessment report, list of questions to be addressed by the applicant and an executive summary which highlights the main issues and the benefit-risk conclusion.
The scientific review committee provides a formal peer -review forum, where each application is summarised, and key issues raised and discussed. The operation of the committee is described in internal operating procedures. Formal minutes are produced. The committee output is to endorse the list of questions for the applicant, decide whether these are likely to be resolvable, agree the benefit-risk conclusion and decide whether or not further scientific advice from the Veterinary Products Committee should be sought.
Similar scientific committee and processes are in place for non-pharmaceutical products (immunological and biological products).
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Benyon on 13 July (HL Deb col 1885), whether they intend to include cats at the outset of any proposed pet abduction offence.
Answered by Lord Benyon
We have listened carefully to views expressed on pet abduction during the passage of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill and we will take this feedback into consideration when delivering this measure.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 13 July (HL9237), what is the process for members of the Veterinary Products Committee to question the Veterinary Medicines Directorate’s assessors following receipt of the assessment report; what criteria the Veterinary Medicines Directorate uses to determine whether any potential increased risks to (1) animal health, (2) public health, or (3) the environment, can be suitability mitigated; and what criteria the Veterinary Medicines Directorate uses to assess the potential benefits of allowing over-the-counter sale, especially when the non-prescription category is already established.
Answered by Lord Benyon
If a product is referred to the Veterinary Products Committee (VPC) for advice, the VPC will be provided with a briefing document. Relevant scientific assessors will attend the VPC meeting and respond to questions by VPC members as directed by the VPC Chair.
Legislation and published guidance set out the information (including data, scientific studies and risk assessments) that applicants must provide for a new marketing authorisation or change to an existing marketing authorisation. Each part of the dossier is supplemented by a critical overall summary prepared by an appropriate scientific expert commissioned by the applicant. The VMD assess the data package against the same guidance. Every year a sample of VMD assessment reports is reviewed by the VPC to score the VMD’s assessment of the application against criteria in the areas of: quality, efficacy and target species safety, safety to the user and consumers, environmental safety and overall benefit risk.
If a non-prescription category is already established, another product will normally be allowed to have the same distribution category provided it contains the same active substance, is the same pharmaceutical presentation, and for the same species. Should information become available at any stage post-authorisation that potentially impacts the benefit-risk balance, the VMD can review the marketing authorisation(s) and require changes and/or suspend a product (or group of products) to protect animal health, public health and the environment.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of by the scientific accuracy of the Health and Safety Executive's guidance on blood borne virus transmission.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It prevents work-related death, injury and ill health. No assessment has been made, however the HSE guidance on bloodborne virus transmission references current UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) scientific evidence on risk of transmission of blood-borne viruses.
UKHSA provides advice on management of exposure to blood-borne viruses in occupational settings through its local, regional and national health protection function and through specialist advice from its national team. UKHSA also hosts the UK Advisory Panel for Healthcare Workers living with Bloodborne Viruses which provides advice about the transmission and management of bloodborne viruses among healthcare workers
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria the Veterinary Products Committee uses to recommend whether an application to vary the marketing authorisation of a prescription-only veterinary medicine to allow over-the-counter sale be granted.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The VPC review VMD’s assessment and conclusion (they may question the assessors if necessary) and provide an opinion as to whether they agree (or not) with the VMD’s conclusion to grant (or not) the lower distribution category.
The VMD consider the VPC’s advice and make a final decision as to whether an application to vary the marketing authorisation of a prescription-only veterinary medicine to allow over-the-counter sale is granted.
The criteria for the VMD’s decision are that:
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what documents are provided by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate to the Veterinary Products Committee to enable them to assess whether an application to vary the marketing authorisation of a prescription-only veterinary medicine to allow over-the-counter sale can be granted.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The VMD provides the VPC with the assessment report (as peer-reviewed and agreed by the internal scientific review committee). The assessment report includes a benefit-risk assessment and conclusion as to whether the VMD consider that the variation to lower the distribution category should be granted.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what process the Veterinary Medicines Directorate uses to determine whether to grant an application to vary the marketing authorisation of a prescription-only veterinary medicine to allow over-the-counter sale.
Answered by Lord Benyon
Veterinary medicine approvals are assessed against statutory criteria for safety, quality and efficacy, as set down in the Veterinary Medicines Regulation. We assess the risks of providing products over-the-counter against the benefits and this is taken to the VPC for independent consideration.