Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 8 February (HL5061), when data for April 2022 and beyond will be validated for release; and on what grounds this information is commercially sensitive.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The data relating to the number of lateral flow device (LFD) tests purchased between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023 will be available in late 2023 on completion of the National Audit Office audit on financial year 2022/23. The timescales of the audit are currently being discussed and agreed.
The UK Health Security Agency consider that releasing the information on the total costs of LFD tests would not be in the public interest as it could prejudice future commercial relations with suppliers if this information were to be disclosed in the public domain.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 8 February (HL4994), whether they are aware that the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s Blue Guide, published in November 2020, defines advertisements as “any activity which is intended to encourage prescription or supply by healthcare professionals and use of medicines by the general public”; and therefore why the word “safe” has been used by the NHS to promote COVID-19 vaccines over the past two years, such as in a tweet from the NHS on 9 December 2022.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
Chapter 6 of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s Blue Guide, in which the statement in question is made around the use of the word ‘safe’ in relation to advertising medicines, is about advertising to healthcare professionals, not the general public. The chapter is introduced as guidance on advertising of medicinal products, both prescription only and over-the-counter medicines, targeting healthcare professionals who are “persons qualified to prescribe or supply” medicines as defined in the regulations. Since National Health Service communications on COVID-19 vaccines such as the tweet in question are intended to raise awareness and to answer common questions among the general public rather than promoting any individual product, they lie beyond the scope of this guidance.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 6 February 2023 (HL4993), what plans they have to launch an evidence-led investigation into why more people are dying unexpectedly than normal.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is already working closely with the Office for National Statistics to understand excess deaths. Deaths involving acute respiratory infections (including influenza and pneumonia) are likely to explain many of the excess deaths in the four week period to 27 January 2023. There were 3,389 more deaths involving acute respiratory infections than expected. Deaths involving all cardiovascular diseases were 12% higher than expected during the four week period to 27 January 2023, while deaths involving heart failure were 21% higher than expected. The Government is taking a range of actions to address excess deaths, including preparing for the challenge of variants of COVID-19 and respiratory infections, with an integrated COVID-19 booster and flu vaccination programme. We will be announcing details of our action on cardiovascular diseases in the forthcoming Major Conditions Strategy.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government why, in advertisements distributed as part of NHS public health campaigns, the word "safe" has been used to promote the COVID-19 vaccines, given that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's Blue Guide, published in November 2020, says that "advertising which states or implies that a product is 'safe' is unacceptable".
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Winter Vaccinations campaign ‘Boost Your Immunity This Winter’ ran over two years (2021/22 and 2022/23). The campaign prompted those eligible to get a COVID-19 booster to ‘Get Vaccinated. Get Boosted. Get Protected’. The Department is unable to locate any paid advertising – delivered as part of this multi-year campaign – using the word ‘safe’ to encourage uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. Our aim is that all paid advertising follows Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and Advertising Standards Authority guidance.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the analysis in chapter 10 of the Technical report on the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, published on 1 December 2022, that non-COVID excess deaths are being caused by, among other factors, patients not receiving statins or blood pressure medicines during the pandemic.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
We have made no specific assessment; however, it is likely that a combination of factors has contributed to non-COVID-19 excess deaths, including high flu prevalence and health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Different organisations are producing diverse estimates based on differing methodologies.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish the scientific evidence and data upon which the COVID-19 rules in place for passengers on direct flights from China to England are based; and what assessment they have made of (1) the cost of imposing the rules, and (2) whether the benefits of the rules outweigh their costs.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The basis for the decision to introduce pre-departure and post-arrival testing for passengers arriving from mainland China is the lack of comprehensive health information being shared by China, low confidence in their published case rates and lack of transparency around genomic sequencing. Domestic infection and hospitalisation rates have surged in China and the measures introduced reduce the number of cases being imported and allow us to monitor for variants.
The measures are proportionate, targeted and time limited. They are being kept under review and will be removed if no longer necessary. HMG and other international partners are encouraging China to provide greater transparency on their COVID data. Passengers may use a PCR or low-cost lateral flow device as their pre-departure test.
Post arrival testing is being managed by UKHSA and it is for them to decide about publishing data.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the data protection and privacy risks posed by private facial recognition companies such as PimEyes to UK citizens.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
All organisations in the UK which process personal data, including biometric data, have to comply with the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent regulator for data protection and is responsible for providing advice and guidance on compliance with the UK’s data protection laws.
The ICO is currently considering whether PimEyes’s practices may raise data protection concerns. It would not be appropriate for His Majesty’s Government to comment on an ongoing ICO consideration.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money they have spent on Oak National Academy; and what assessment they have made of the effects of that spending on the private academic publishing sector.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
As set out in Oak National Academy’s Framework Agreement, Oak will be operationally independent from the department. The department will not prescribe or approve the content of curriculum packages or educational resources. Oak’s resources will be created independently, will be free to access and non-compulsory for schools to use, and evidence based. In creating curriculum packages and educational resources, Oak will ensure alignment with the national curriculum, and have due regard to the department’s non-statutory curriculum guidance.
Citizenship forms a core part of the statutory national curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 and primary schools can choose to teach citizenship at Key Stages 1 and 2, following the non-statutory framework for citizenship. The citizenship curriculum provides a rigorous framework for pupils to explore complex concepts and issues facing society.
History is also part of the national curriculum from Key Stages 1 to 3 and is included in the English Baccalaureate suite of GCSE subjects for Key Stage 4. The department is developing a Model History Curriculum which is a non-statutory guidance document to support the national curriculum and the teaching of a high quality, knowledge rich and diverse history curriculum. The guidance will be published in 2024.
The department does not prescribe how these subjects should be taught but we expect schools to develop a curriculum that meets the need of their pupils.
The department made £4.84 million available for Oak both for the summer term of the academic year 2019/20, and then for the 2020/21 academic year, to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects for Reception up to Year 11. In the 2022/23 financial year, a total of £9.8 million has been budgeted for Oak. Part of this £9.8 million of funding was allocated through the Grant Funding Agreement, which enabled Oak National Academy to maintain its activity prior to becoming an Arm’s Length Body (ALB). The government has set aside up to £43 million over the next three years to support Oak National Academy, a significant proportion of which is expected to be provided directly to schools, publishers, and other organisations for the creation of resources.
As an integral part of the process to set up Oak as an ALB, with close regard to Cabinet Office guidance, the department produced a business case that included an assessment of potential market impact. This business case was published on GOV.UK on 1 November at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-business-case. Monitoring market impact will be a priority throughout Oak National Academy’s lifetime and will be factored into the body’s ongoing evaluation and two-year review.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) their relationship with Oak National Academy, and (2) the ways in which students are taught about (a) society, and (b) history, through the National Curriculum.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
As set out in Oak National Academy’s Framework Agreement, Oak will be operationally independent from the department. The department will not prescribe or approve the content of curriculum packages or educational resources. Oak’s resources will be created independently, will be free to access and non-compulsory for schools to use, and evidence based. In creating curriculum packages and educational resources, Oak will ensure alignment with the national curriculum, and have due regard to the department’s non-statutory curriculum guidance.
Citizenship forms a core part of the statutory national curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 and primary schools can choose to teach citizenship at Key Stages 1 and 2, following the non-statutory framework for citizenship. The citizenship curriculum provides a rigorous framework for pupils to explore complex concepts and issues facing society.
History is also part of the national curriculum from Key Stages 1 to 3 and is included in the English Baccalaureate suite of GCSE subjects for Key Stage 4. The department is developing a Model History Curriculum which is a non-statutory guidance document to support the national curriculum and the teaching of a high quality, knowledge rich and diverse history curriculum. The guidance will be published in 2024.
The department does not prescribe how these subjects should be taught but we expect schools to develop a curriculum that meets the need of their pupils.
The department made £4.84 million available for Oak both for the summer term of the academic year 2019/20, and then for the 2020/21 academic year, to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects for Reception up to Year 11. In the 2022/23 financial year, a total of £9.8 million has been budgeted for Oak. Part of this £9.8 million of funding was allocated through the Grant Funding Agreement, which enabled Oak National Academy to maintain its activity prior to becoming an Arm’s Length Body (ALB). The government has set aside up to £43 million over the next three years to support Oak National Academy, a significant proportion of which is expected to be provided directly to schools, publishers, and other organisations for the creation of resources.
As an integral part of the process to set up Oak as an ALB, with close regard to Cabinet Office guidance, the department produced a business case that included an assessment of potential market impact. This business case was published on GOV.UK on 1 November at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-business-case. Monitoring market impact will be a priority throughout Oak National Academy’s lifetime and will be factored into the body’s ongoing evaluation and two-year review.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made to ensure that the recording of non-crime hate incidents is governed by a Code of Practice that is subject to parliamentary approval.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
I fully recognise the concern that surrounds the recording of non-crime hate incidents. Home Office officials are currently working with the College of Policing to ensure that the right to freedom of expression is better protected.