Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Environment Agency’s guidance on the operation of crematoria will be (a) published and (b) brought into effect.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The final updated Process Guidance Note 5/2 (24) is under review.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of delays to the Environment Agency’s guidance on the operation of crematoria on relevant stakeholders.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The final updated Process Guidance Note 5/2 (24) is currently being reviewed by Ministers.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 27 January 2021 to Question 137239 on Prescription Drugs, what information his Department holds on the number of patients who have been prescribed drugs categorised under the (a) (i) clonazepam and (ii) other benzodiazepines, (b) z-drugs, (c) antidepressants, (d) opioids, (e) pregabalin and (f) gabapentin drug groups in the (A) last 12 months and (B) the previous 12 month period for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, covering the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:
Drug group | Financial year | Total number of items |
Clonazepam | 2022/23 | 1,048,081 |
2023/24 | 1,059,421 | |
Other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 7,156,845 |
2023/24 | 6,814,129 | |
Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 8,204,926 |
2023/24 | 7,873,550 | |
Z-drugs | 2022/23 | 5,316,627 |
2023/24 | 5,113,574 | |
Antidepressants | 2022/23 | 86,263,722 |
2023/24 | 89,131,582 | |
Opioids | 2022/23 | 39,401,517 |
2023/24 | 39,046,206 | |
Pregabalin | 2022/23 | 8,775,699 |
2023/24 | 9,180,793 | |
Gabapentin | 2022/23 | 7,413,759 |
2023/24 | 7,408,375 |
Source: NHS Business Services Authority.
In addition, the following table shows the patient identifiable information for the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, for the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:
Drug group | Financial Year | Total number of unique identified patients | Percentage of items where the patient has been identified |
Clonazepam | 2022/23 | 85,613 | 98.22% |
2023/24 | 85,191 | 98.16% | |
Other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 1,253,962 | 97.06% |
2023/24 | 1,186,001 | 97.01% | |
Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 1,324,792 | 97.21% |
2023/24 | 1,256,941 | 97.17% | |
Z-drugs | 2022/23 | 795,959 |
|
2023/24 | 764,743 |
| |
Antidepressants | 2022/23 | 8,563,148 |
|
2023/24 | 8,747,095 |
| |
Opioids | 2022/23 | 5,593,035 |
|
2023/24 | 5,562,718 |
| |
Pregabalin | 2022/23 | 786,403 |
|
2023/24 | 823,231 |
| |
Gabapentin | 2022/23 | 808,562 |
|
2023/24 | 799,144 |
|
Source: NHS Business Services Authority.
Notes:
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prescriptions were issued for each drug categorised under the (a) (i) clonazepam and (ii) other benzodiazepines, (b) z-drugs, (c) antidepressants, (d) opioids, (e) pregabalin and (f) gabapentin drug groups in the (i) last 12 months and (ii) previous 12 month period for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, covering the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:
Drug group | Financial year | Total number of items |
Clonazepam | 2022/23 | 1,048,081 |
2023/24 | 1,059,421 | |
Other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 7,156,845 |
2023/24 | 6,814,129 | |
Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 8,204,926 |
2023/24 | 7,873,550 | |
Z-drugs | 2022/23 | 5,316,627 |
2023/24 | 5,113,574 | |
Antidepressants | 2022/23 | 86,263,722 |
2023/24 | 89,131,582 | |
Opioids | 2022/23 | 39,401,517 |
2023/24 | 39,046,206 | |
Pregabalin | 2022/23 | 8,775,699 |
2023/24 | 9,180,793 | |
Gabapentin | 2022/23 | 7,413,759 |
2023/24 | 7,408,375 |
Source: NHS Business Services Authority.
In addition, the following table shows the patient identifiable information for the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, for the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:
Drug group | Financial Year | Total number of unique identified patients | Percentage of items where the patient has been identified |
Clonazepam | 2022/23 | 85,613 | 98.22% |
2023/24 | 85,191 | 98.16% | |
Other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 1,253,962 | 97.06% |
2023/24 | 1,186,001 | 97.01% | |
Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 1,324,792 | 97.21% |
2023/24 | 1,256,941 | 97.17% | |
Z-drugs | 2022/23 | 795,959 |
|
2023/24 | 764,743 |
| |
Antidepressants | 2022/23 | 8,563,148 |
|
2023/24 | 8,747,095 |
| |
Opioids | 2022/23 | 5,593,035 |
|
2023/24 | 5,562,718 |
| |
Pregabalin | 2022/23 | 786,403 |
|
2023/24 | 823,231 |
| |
Gabapentin | 2022/23 | 808,562 |
|
2023/24 | 799,144 |
|
Source: NHS Business Services Authority.
Notes:
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to consider evidence related to advertising when strengthening protections against gambling harms.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are committed to considering the best available evidence, including on advertising, from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on strengthening protections. Developing quality evidence is a key priority for the statutory levy and funding will be directed towards high-quality, independent research to fill key gaps in the evidence base. This could include research on the impacts of advertising. We will continue to monitor developments in the evidence and take action when appropriate.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support youth work as a profession by providing (a) financial support for students and (b) fieldwork placements.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS works with the National Youth Agency (NYA) to fund bursaries for individuals to obtain youth work qualifications. Since 2019, £4 million of funding has been provided to the NYA via the Youth Worker Bursary Fund, allowing over 2,500 individuals from underrepresented groups to gain a qualification.
We have committed to co-producing a new National Youth Strategy, which is an opportunity to look afresh at the support, recruitment and retention of youth workers. The Strategy will be published this summer.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure there is a minimum level of provision for youth services.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Local Authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people in their area. We will be launching the Local Youth Transformation pilot this year, which will support local authorities to build back capacity in the youth space and improve local youth offers.
This government has also committed to co-producing a new National Youth Strategy. As part of the Strategy, we will be consulting closely with young people and the youth sector. The Strategy will be published this summer.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a revocable license to practice for youth workers.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS funds the National Youth Agency to maintain a voluntary register of JNC Level 6 qualified youth workers and provide support to youth workers and organisations around safeguarding and risk management via their Safeguarding Hub.
In November, this government committed to co-producing a new National Youth Strategy, which is an opportunity to look afresh at the training, recruitment and retention of youth workers. The Strategy will be published this summer.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the impact of the restriction of puberty blockers for the treatment of gender incongruence on the (a) physical and (b) mental health of young trans people.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 11 December 2024 the Government introduced The Medicines (Gonadotrophin-Releasing Hormone Analogues) (Restrictions on Private Sales and Supplies) Order 2024, which came into effect on 1 January 2025. Alongside this legislation the Government published a full impact assessment, which is available at the following link:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/1319/impacts
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding allocated to the National Citizen Service will be redistributed to youth services.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Funding allocations for specific programmes will be communicated in due course, following the completion of business planning.