Asked by: Lord Lebedev (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of psychedelics in the treatment of mental health; and what steps they are taking to support advanced research in this sector.
Answered by Lord Markham
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has conducted scientific advice meetings with research organisations developing drugs with psychedelic properties for the treatment of mental health conditions. The MHRA does not conduct research, however they enable clinical trials research to take place and have procedures in place to review marketing authorisation applications submitted to them, with regard to the drug’s quality, safety and effectiveness.
The Department of Health and Social Care commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which has invested £1.1 million in a randomised controlled trial to examine the feasibility, safety and efficacy of the use of psilocybin in people with treatment-resistant depression.
The NIHR also invests in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies through its infrastructure. For example, the Imperial Biomedical Research Centre aims to investigate the potential of treating psychiatric disorders with psychedelics. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies.
Asked by: Lord Lebedev (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with social media companies about protecting the mental health of under-16s, especially girls, using their platforms.
Answered by Lord Markham
The Department met with TikTok and Meta in December 2022 and January 2023, to discuss the mental health of children and young people, including girls who are under 16 years old.
Asked by: Lord Lebedev (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide financial incentives to farmers to ensure surplus food can be given to charities and food banks, as well as sent to anaerobic digestion plants.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Since 2017, Defra has made a series of grants available to help the redistribution sector in their important work. Nearly £12 million has been awarded to over 250 large and small organisations across the country for the provision of, for example, warehousing, vehicles, fridges and freezers to get more surplus food to those who have a need. With the infrastructure support that has been provided, we believe these projects will continue to reduce food waste and deliver safe discounted food for many years to come.
Defra is committed to the WRAP-led Food Waste Reduction Roadmap which supports business to waste less through the Target, Measure and Act approach. By measuring and acting on waste more surplus will be redistributed.
Whatever preventative and reduction actions are taken, some food waste will arise. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the Government's preferred option for recycling food that eventually ends up in waste. We want to prioritise prevention of waste and therefore avoid financial incentives for farmers to send food to AD instead of redistribution. In most cases, AD plants charge a 'gate fee' to treat food waste used as a feedstock.
Asked by: Lord Lebedev (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Food Foundation’s food insecurity data, published on 7 February; in particular, the finding that one million adults reported that they or someone in their household had to go a whole day without eating in the past month because they could not afford or access food; and what steps they intend to take in response to address food insecurity.
Answered by Lord Benyon
In December 2021, the Government published the first UK Food Security Report which included an assessment of household food security. Latest National statistics data from the Department of Work and Pension’s Family Resources Survey published in March 2021, shows that 92% of households were food secure. The Family Resources Survey is a continuous household survey which collects information on a representative sample of houses in the UK and has a large sample of 20,000 households. We continue to monitor all key indicators and engage with independent surveys including the Food Foundation on an ongoing basis. We are committed to continue to report on this in future food security reports.
Tackling poverty in all forms is a key priority for this Government. We know people are facing pressures with the increasing cost of living and recognise that some need extra support with essentials like food shopping and other day-to-day costs. We are taking action worth £12 billion to help them, including through the Household Support Fund to support low-income households in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials this winter.