Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any discussions have taken place with the food industry in the last five years regarding the level of voluntary fortification of food products with folic acid; and whether those levels have changed.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
We have no record of discussions with the food industry in the last five years about the level of voluntary fortification of food products with folic acid, and as such, information on whether those voluntary levels have changed is not held by the Department.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in setting up a laboratory able to conduct blood folate status analysis.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Blood samples collected in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey since July 2014 have been analysed for total serum folate at the Medical Research Council Elsie Widdowson Laboratory in Cambridge using a mass spectrometry-based method.
Analysis for whole blood folate continues to be carried out at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States using a microbiological assay, as the method has not yet been successfully transferred to mass spectrometry.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what comparative assessment they have made of the UK and other OECD members, in respect of pregnancies affected by neural tube defects.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
We contribute to the European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies (EUROCAT), which reports on congenital anomaly statistics by country.
In 2015, the register for the prevalence of neural tube defects in live births, fetal deaths (over 20 weeks gestation) and terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly for the United Kingdom (covering 25.8% of births) was 11.61 per 10,000 births. For other European Union member states, the prevalence range was from 2.19 per 10,000 births to 14.63 per 10,000.
It should be noted that 2015 data is not available for all EU member states feeding into the EUROCAT.
We are not currently in the position to compare the UK and other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development members, in respect of pregnancies affected by neural tube defects.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what comparative assessment they have made of the UK and other EU member states, in respect of pregnancies affected by neural tube defects.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
We contribute to the European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies (EUROCAT), which reports on congenital anomaly statistics by country.
In 2015, the register for the prevalence of neural tube defects in live births, fetal deaths (over 20 weeks gestation) and terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly for the United Kingdom (covering 25.8% of births) was 11.61 per 10,000 births. For other European Union member states, the prevalence range was from 2.19 per 10,000 births to 14.63 per 10,000.
It should be noted that 2015 data is not available for all EU member states feeding into the EUROCAT.
We are not currently in the position to compare the UK and other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development members, in respect of pregnancies affected by neural tube defects.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 14 July, 2015 (HL1000), what is the latest information they have regarding high risk groups suffering neural tube defects at birth.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service (NCARDRS) report, published by Public Health England in April 2015, reports statistics on congenital anomalies. A copy of the report is attached. Maternal age is a risk indicator for congenital anomalies. NCARDRS provides a breakdown of birth prevalence of all anomalies by maternal age. It reports a variation in the prevalence of nervous system congenital anomalies between maternal ages, with the prevalence in 2015 varying between 16 births per 10,000 total births for the 35-39 age category, to 44 per 10,000 for the under 20 age category.
Additional information on high risk groups suffering neural tube defects at birth is not reported.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many births classed as (1) spina bifida, (2) hydrocephalus, and (3) anencephaly caused by neural tube defects, there have been in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The following table provides counts of birth episodes with a primary or secondary diagnosis of spina bifida, spina bifida with hydrocephalus, hydrocephalus, hydrocephalus in other diseases, and anencephaly.
Activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | |||||
Year | Spina bifida | Spina bifida with hydrocephalus | Hydrocephalus | Hydrocephalus in other diseases | Anencephaly |
2012-13 | 106 | 48 | 132 | 0 | 25 |
2013-14 | 111 | 43 | 116 | 0 | 29 |
2014-15 | 99 | 50 | 131 | 2 | 26 |
2015-16 | 122 | 38 | 136 | 3 | 28 |
2016-17 | 116 | 41 | 157 | 1 | 35 |
Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital
Notes: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer includes in admitted patient HES data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information. It should be noted that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2015-16 includes activity ending between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2016.
It should be noted that as the question specifies the number of births classed as spina bifida, hydrocephalus and anencephaly caused by neural tube defects, the response is restricted to birth episodes where the diagnosis has occurred at the time or due to a previous antenatal scan. An episode that includes diagnosis codes from more than one of the above groups will be counted in each relevant category.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any discussions with the science community, inside or outside Government, regarding the updated recommendations on folic acid published by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition on 12 July.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) advises Public Health England and other United Kingdom Government organisations on nutrition and related health matters. The SACN has recently updated the evidence on folic acid in response to a request from Food Standards Scotland (FSS). In February 2016, FSS asked the SACN to provide advice on whether its previous recommendations regarding mandatory folic acid fortification (2006; 2009) still applied. Ministers are currently considering the issue of mandatory fortification in light of this and will respond in due course. As such, no discussions have yet been held with the Scottish Government, food industry, or the wider scientific community on this issue.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any discussions with the food industry about the updated recommendations on folic acid published by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition on 12 July.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) advises Public Health England and other United Kingdom Government organisations on nutrition and related health matters. The SACN has recently updated the evidence on folic acid in response to a request from Food Standards Scotland (FSS). In February 2016, FSS asked the SACN to provide advice on whether its previous recommendations regarding mandatory folic acid fortification (2006; 2009) still applied. Ministers are currently considering the issue of mandatory fortification in light of this and will respond in due course. As such, no discussions have yet been held with the Scottish Government, food industry, or the wider scientific community on this issue.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any discussions have taken place with the Scottish Government following publication of the updated recommendations on folic acid by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition on 12 July.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) advises Public Health England and other United Kingdom Government organisations on nutrition and related health matters. The SACN has recently updated the evidence on folic acid in response to a request from Food Standards Scotland (FSS). In February 2016, FSS asked the SACN to provide advice on whether its previous recommendations regarding mandatory folic acid fortification (2006; 2009) still applied. Ministers are currently considering the issue of mandatory fortification in light of this and will respond in due course. As such, no discussions have yet been held with the Scottish Government, food industry, or the wider scientific community on this issue.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 22 July 2014 (HL939), what was the ranking of the UK in the <i>Health at a Glance 2015: OECD Indicators </i>report for (1) infant mortality, (2) numbers of MRI and CT Scanners, (3) low birth weight infants, (4) overweight and obesity amongst adults, (5) overweight and obesity amongst children, (6) mortality from cardiovascular disease, and (7) mortality from cancer; how these rankings compared to those for 2013; and what plans they have to improve the UK rankings.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The United Kingdom’s rankings among OECD member states (as shown by the 2015 and 2013 Health at a Glance reports) are the following:
| Health at a Glance 2013 | Health at a Glance 2015 |
Infant mortality | 25th lowest out of 34 | 19th lowest out of 34 |
Low birth weight infants | 21st lowest out of 34 | 21st lowest out of 34 |
MRI units | 7th lowest out of 28 | 4th lowest out of 32 |
CT scanners | 3rd lowest out of 29 | 3rd lowest out of 32 |
Obesity among adults | 28th lowest out of 34 | 27th lowest out of 34 |
Overweight and obesity among children (measured) | 18th lowest out of 34 | 32th lowest out of 33 |
Mortality from cardiovascular disease (ischemic heart disease) | 19th lowest out of 33 | 18th lowest out of 34 |
Mortality from cardiovascular disease (cerebrovascular disease) | 22nd lowest out of 33 | 14th lowest out of 34 |
Mortality from cancer | 25th lowest out of 33 | 26th lowest out of 34 |
The Government welcomes the OECD reports as an authoritative contribution to the development of health policy in the UK. For the health service in England, we have taken note of the OECD’s findings. The underlying data on health outcomes informs the development of our mandates and other guidance to the health and care system, in particular to NHS England and Public Health England.