Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the budget of the Department of Health and Social Care as a percentage of total government expenditure in each year since 2021.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has averaged 19% of total Government expenditure in each financial year since 2020/21: 20% in 2020/21, 26% in 2021/22, 14% in 2022/23, and 16% in 2023/24.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any physical checks are required on medical products or medical devices moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland; and, if so, which legislation requires them.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Internal market movements of medical devices and products follow the same rules as other goods and can avail the support provided by the United Kingdom’s Government to move goods into Northern Ireland free of unnecessary paperwork, checks, and duties.
Regarding specific regulations for medical devices or medicines, no regulatory declarations are required for the movement of medicines or medical devices from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Medical devices across the whole of the UK are highly regulated, and devices placed in the Northern Irish market must be accompanied by a declaration of conformity in line with the EU Medical Device Regulations (2017/745) and EU In Vitro Device Regulations (2017/746), which apply under the Windsor Framework, in order to ensure dual market access to the UK’s internal market and the European Union's single market. Regulations in Great Britain are broadly similar to those applying in the Northern Ireland, including the conformity assessment process.
No physical checks are required for medicines or medical devices moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what declarations are required for the movement of medical products, including medical devices, from Great Britain to Northern Ireland; and which legislation requires them.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Internal market movements of medical devices and products follow the same rules as other goods and can avail the support provided by the United Kingdom’s Government to move goods into Northern Ireland free of unnecessary paperwork, checks, and duties.
Regarding specific regulations for medical devices or medicines, no regulatory declarations are required for the movement of medicines or medical devices from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Medical devices across the whole of the UK are highly regulated, and devices placed in the Northern Irish market must be accompanied by a declaration of conformity in line with the EU Medical Device Regulations (2017/745) and EU In Vitro Device Regulations (2017/746), which apply under the Windsor Framework, in order to ensure dual market access to the UK’s internal market and the European Union's single market. Regulations in Great Britain are broadly similar to those applying in the Northern Ireland, including the conformity assessment process.
No physical checks are required for medicines or medical devices moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the application of section 7A of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 on the introduction of a generational smoking ban in Northern Ireland, as proposed in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government intends to apply the Tobacco and Vapes Bill across the United Kingdom and it has been developed in partnership with the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.
In the drafting of the Bill, the Government has considered all its domestic and international obligations.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many registered (1) residential care homes, and (2) nursing homes, there are in England; and what are the numbers of residents in each category.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The following table shows the number of care homes with and without nursing, and the number of beds for both categories, taken from the Care Quality Commission’s registration data from March 2024:
| Number of care homes in England | Number of beds in England |
Care homes without nursing | 10,473 | 234,198 |
Care homes with nursing | 4,250 | 221,766 |
Total | 14,723 | 455,964 |
The published data does not break down the number of residents in each category.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made on introducing the mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects in foetuses.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
We remain committed to bringing forward legislation to introduce mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid. On 17 January 2024, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published the response to the United Kingdom-wide consultation on amending the Bread and Flour Regulations, which is available at the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.
The Government has notified the World Trade Organization and the European Commission in accordance with international obligations, with a view to making the legislative changes later in 2024.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 19 September (HL10107), what consultations have taken place about the membership of the independent advisory panel as set out in Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/786; and who has so far been appointed to the panel.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The last consultation by the European Commission on the Independent Advisory panel on characterising flavours in tobacco products was held from 15 July 2016 to 20 October 2016.
The current panel exists of six members. Members are appointed for a renewable term of five years. The Commission also has a list of reserved suitable panel members. The following experts are current members of the Independent Advisory Panel:
- Dr. Alberto Del Rio, Innovamol Consulting Srl, Bologna, Italy;
- Dr. Garmt Dijksterhuis, The Netherlands;
- Dr. Jan van Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
- Mr. Emmanuel Vanzeveren, It makes sense SPRL, Braine Le Comte, Belgium (Vice-chair);
- Dr. Wouter Visser, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands; and
- Prof. Efthimios Zervas, Hellenic Open University, Patra, Greece (Chair).
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what checks, paperwork or monitoring will be introduced with respect to the movement of the goods covered by the Tobacco and Related Products (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023 from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
It is a requirement in the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 that heated tobacco products to be sold on the Northern Ireland market are notified on the European Union’s Common Entry Gateway six months before they are placed on the Northern Ireland market. A fee is payable to notify.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities in the Department of Health and Social Care in England manages notifications for tobacco products in Great Britain and Northern Ireland and publishes a list of compliant products notified on the GOV.UK website in an online-only format. The last list was published on 9 August 2023.
Heated tobacco products moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland to be sold on the Northern Ireland market will need to compliant with the Tobacco and Related Products (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023 from 23 October 2023. Each district council in Northern Ireland will monitor and enforce the new requirements.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consultations they have carried out as to whether the rules and laws which will now be applied in Northern Ireland as a result of EU law applied under the Tobacco and Related Products (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023 should also apply in the rest of the UK.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
Departmental officials consulted with officials from the Department of Health in Northern Ireland about the Tobacco and Related Products (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023.
No consultations have taken place as to whether regulatory changes in Northern Ireland should apply to heated tobacco products in Great Britain. Heated tobacco use remains low in Great Britain, but we will keep this under review, working with our counterparts in the devolved administrations.
The assessment given to regulatory divergence with the rest of the United Kingdom on the introduction of the regulation is that heated tobacco use throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland is low. From 23 October 2023, there may be heated tobacco products that are permitted on the Great Britain market but that are not on the Northern Ireland market. It continues to be policy of the Department in England to discourage people from taking up tobacco, and to help people quit the use of it.
It will be an offence for anyone to sell heated tobacco products prohibited in the regulations in Northern Ireland. Each district council in Northern Ireland will enforce the new requirements under existing funding. These new requirements are not expected to be a significant burden on each district council, given the low use of heated tobacco products in Northern Ireland.
To assist with regulatory compliance for businesses selling heated tobacco, the Department has sent communications information on the regulations to the Northern Ireland Retail body and the Federation of Small Businesses, along with the suppliers of heated tobacco products on the Northern Ireland market. Information was also shared through the Northern Ireland Business Information website. The changes were also communicated to Northern Ireland councils through the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives.
No new regulation has been created in the Tobacco and Related Products (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023 regarding creating an independent advisory panel. Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/786 continues to apply in Northern Ireland and lays down the procedure for the establishment and operation of an independent advisory panel to assist in this determination.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the different standards between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK as a result of the Tobacco and Related Products (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023 will be enforced; what paperwork will be required; and what checks will be carried out.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
Departmental officials consulted with officials from the Department of Health in Northern Ireland about the Tobacco and Related Products (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023.
No consultations have taken place as to whether regulatory changes in Northern Ireland should apply to heated tobacco products in Great Britain. Heated tobacco use remains low in Great Britain, but we will keep this under review, working with our counterparts in the devolved administrations.
The assessment given to regulatory divergence with the rest of the United Kingdom on the introduction of the regulation is that heated tobacco use throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland is low. From 23 October 2023, there may be heated tobacco products that are permitted on the Great Britain market but that are not on the Northern Ireland market. It continues to be policy of the Department in England to discourage people from taking up tobacco, and to help people quit the use of it.
It will be an offence for anyone to sell heated tobacco products prohibited in the regulations in Northern Ireland. Each district council in Northern Ireland will enforce the new requirements under existing funding. These new requirements are not expected to be a significant burden on each district council, given the low use of heated tobacco products in Northern Ireland.
To assist with regulatory compliance for businesses selling heated tobacco, the Department has sent communications information on the regulations to the Northern Ireland Retail body and the Federation of Small Businesses, along with the suppliers of heated tobacco products on the Northern Ireland market. Information was also shared through the Northern Ireland Business Information website. The changes were also communicated to Northern Ireland councils through the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives.
No new regulation has been created in the Tobacco and Related Products (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023 regarding creating an independent advisory panel. Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/786 continues to apply in Northern Ireland and lays down the procedure for the establishment and operation of an independent advisory panel to assist in this determination.