Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of legal changes requiring the microchipping of cats by 10 June 2024.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have worked closely with animal welfare and veterinary stakeholders to develop and implement a co-ordinated communication strategy to raise awareness that owned cats over the age of 20 weeks will be required to be microchipped by 10 June this year. The strategy has included press releases and a visible social media campaign.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the number of hospital admissions for issues related to cigar smoking in the last (a) 12 months, (b) five years and (c) 20 years.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Smoking is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom, and causes around one in four UK cancer deaths. It also costs our country £21.8 billion a year, and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service. The latest estimates from Action on Smoking and Health put the cost of smoking to the NHS at £1.9 billion a year.
All tobacco products are harmful. Tobacco smoke from cigars leads to the same types of diseases as cigarette smoke. Research has shown that using smokeless tobacco raises the risk of both mouth and oesophageal cancer. Data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Smoking Profile showed that in 2019/20 there were an estimated 448,031 smoking attributable hospital admissions, but we cannot differentiate by the type of tobacco.
As such, the Department does not hold data on the annual costs to the NHS of cigar smoking and snuff taking, nor data on the number of hospital admissions for issues related to cigar smoking or snuff taking in the last 12 months, five years, or 20 years.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the number of hospital admissions for issues related to the taking of snuff in the last (a) 12 months, (b) five years and (c) 20 years.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Smoking is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom, and causes around one in four UK cancer deaths. It also costs our country £21.8 billion a year, and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service. The latest estimates from Action on Smoking and Health put the cost of smoking to the NHS at £1.9 billion a year.
All tobacco products are harmful. Tobacco smoke from cigars leads to the same types of diseases as cigarette smoke. Research has shown that using smokeless tobacco raises the risk of both mouth and oesophageal cancer. Data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Smoking Profile showed that in 2019/20 there were an estimated 448,031 smoking attributable hospital admissions, but we cannot differentiate by the type of tobacco.
As such, the Department does not hold data on the annual costs to the NHS of cigar smoking and snuff taking, nor data on the number of hospital admissions for issues related to cigar smoking or snuff taking in the last 12 months, five years, or 20 years.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the annual cost to the NHS of (a) cigar smoking and (b) snuff taking.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Smoking is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom, and causes around one in four UK cancer deaths. It also costs our country £21.8 billion a year, and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service. The latest estimates from Action on Smoking and Health put the cost of smoking to the NHS at £1.9 billion a year.
All tobacco products are harmful. Tobacco smoke from cigars leads to the same types of diseases as cigarette smoke. Research has shown that using smokeless tobacco raises the risk of both mouth and oesophageal cancer. Data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Smoking Profile showed that in 2019/20 there were an estimated 448,031 smoking attributable hospital admissions, but we cannot differentiate by the type of tobacco.
As such, the Department does not hold data on the annual costs to the NHS of cigar smoking and snuff taking, nor data on the number of hospital admissions for issues related to cigar smoking or snuff taking in the last 12 months, five years, or 20 years.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support the mental health of people working in the companion animal welfare sector.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Mental health is a cross-Government issue as it affects everyone in society, and we continue to work closely with other Government departments in addressing the wider determinants of mental ill health. We are currently working with stakeholders to develop a Mental Health Policy Tool to support Government policymakers to take mental health and wellbeing impacts into account, and address disparities when designing new policies.
Through the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government is providing record levels of investment to expand and transform National Health Service mental health services in England, so that more people, including those working in the companion animal welfare sector, can get the help and support that they need.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the protection of free speech in Scotland.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
This Government is committed to protecting free speech.
It is the responsibility of the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament, working with Police Scotland, to ensure that the hate crime legislation is implemented and enforced in a way that protects freedom of speech and has the confidence of people in Scotland.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the early learning and development of children at home.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is investing over £300 million to enable 75 local authorities to create family hubs, and to improve vital services to give every baby the best start in life, including support for parenting, perinatal mental health and parent infant relationships, and infant feeding. An additional £29 million has been made available to these local authorities to improve early language development, by supporting parents to help their children learn at home through the provision of evidence-based support with home learning.
In January 2024, the department launched a national campaign ‘Little Moments Together.’ It offers free resources and advice for parents to enhance children’s language and communication development on the NHS Better Health Start for Life website at: https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/early-learning-development/. The department’s focus is on educating parents about brain development in the first five years of life, and the crucial role they play. The campaign encourages parents to chat, play, and read more with their children, suggesting ways to fit opportunities into their busy schedules in and around the home. The ‘Little Moments Together’ campaign can be viewed online at: https://campaignresources.dhsc.gov.uk/campaigns/better-health-start-for-life/better-health-start-for-life-home-learning-environment-2024/.
In addition, the department is working with early years national voluntary and community sector partners, including the National Literacy Trust, to assist family hubs to deliver home learning support to disadvantaged and low-income families. The department has provided £4.5 million in grant funding for partners to develop resources using the ‘Little Moments Together’ campaign messaging, offer peer-led activities directly to parents, and to engage with disadvantaged groups locally on home learning through the developing family hub networks.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's guidance entitled Reporting candidate spending in the long campaign for a UK Parliamentary general election, published on 6 March 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the changes from the guidance published ahead of the 2015 general election; and whether the Commission consulted political parties during the development of the revised guidance.
Answered by Cat Smith
The Commission sought external legal advice on the requirement for the reporting of spending during the long campaign, after receiving feedback from political parties. That advice differed from the position established by the Commission. The Commission is now in the process of reflecting that advice in its guidance.
The Commission has a responsibility to provide guidance for political parties and campaigners which helps them meet their legal obligations. It considers the impact that changes to its guidance have on its regulated community, but has a duty to accurately reflect the law.
The Commission has a constructive relationship with the party panels, and it regularly consults on key areas of its work, both formally and informally. The Commission always welcomes feedback from political parties on areas where it can better help them meet their legal obligations.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's guidance, Reporting candidate spending in the long campaign for a UK Parliamentary general election, what the evidential basis is for the assertion that an item of candidate spending provided by a party counts towards both (a) the long campaign spending limit for a candidate and (b) the party spending limit; how the treatment of notional expenditure and agent-authorised expenditure differs; and whether the Commission has made an assessment of the potential impact on party spending limits.
Answered by Cat Smith
The Electoral Commission’s guidance aims to support campaigners to meet their obligations which are set by the UK’s complex political finance laws. It develops guidance based on legal advice and interpretation of these laws.
The Commission sought additional external legal advice on reporting of spending during the long campaign and is in the process of reflecting that legal advice in guidance.
The guidance will provide clarity on the parts of the candidate spending laws that impact how a candidate should report spending in the long campaign.
It will also clarify that there is a requirement for a candidate return for spending during the long campaign and therefore spending is not reportable in a party return.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's guidance, Reporting candidate spending in the long campaign for a UK Parliamentary general election, whether it is a requirement for a candidate to publish a candidate spending return for the long campaign; and what guidance the Commission has provided to hon. Members on that issue.
Answered by Cat Smith
It is a requirement for candidates to provide any candidate spending during the long campaign in a return to their Returning Officer.
The Commission provides guidance for all candidates to help them meet their legal obligations, which is applicable to those Hon. Members seeking re-election at the next UK parliamentary general election.
It also provides additional bespoke advice and support to Hon. Members and their staff, as it does for all other political parties, campaigners and candidates.