Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jane Ellison and Barry Gardiner

Tuesday 10th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[Barry Gardiner (Brent North) (Lab)]

I am grateful, Mr Speaker. In Brent we have the highest incidence of TB and of type 2 diabetes in the country. We have just received a cut of £450 million in the money allocated to the CCG. The Secretary of State says that this is fair, but my constituents want to know whether it is in accordance with need.

[Jane Ellison]

The hon. Gentleman is right to draw attention to the problem of TB in London. As a London Member myself, I know what he is talking about. I encourage him to participate in the current consultation on Public Health England’s comprehensive TB strategy. It is a very important document which marks a step change in the way we confront the problem. That will help us to allocate resources to need and to address serious problems.

Health

Debate between Jane Ellison and Barry Gardiner

Wednesday 9th April 2014 Ministerial Corrections

[Barry Gardiner]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many instances of (a) pneumonia, (b) septic pneumonia, (c) Pericarditis, (d) Septic Pericarditis, (e) Peritonitis, (f) septic peritonitis, (g) Oedema, (h) Emaciation, (i) Bruising or trauma, (j) Abscesses in offal, (k) Abscesses in carcases, (l) Pyaemia, (m) animals with septicaemia, (n) Animals with tumours, (o) Hydronephrosis, (p) Nephritis and septic nephritis, (q) Lymphadenitis, (r) Tuberculosis, (s) Erysipelas in pigs, (t) Steatosis, (u) Actinobacillous and (v) Actinomycosus in red meat animals have been identified at official post mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for an on behalf of the FSA since 1 April 2012.

[Official Report, 1 April 2014, Vol. 578, c. 573W.]

Letter of correction from Jane Ellison:

An error has been identified in the written answer given to the hon. Member for Brent North (Barry Gardiner) on 1 April 2014.

The full answer given was as follows:

[Jane Ellison]

The following quantity of conditions have been identified in red meat animals at official post mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) since April 2012:

Some conditions are not recorded by the FSA. The list of conditions for cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry were created following expert working group workshops for each species over the last five years. Members of the workshops included stakeholders from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Animal Health, EBLEX, BPEX, private veterinarians, industry vets, FSA, Association of Meat Inspectors.

The data for sheep, goats, deer and horses is from April 2012 to December 2013, all other species is April 2012 to March 2014.

Tobacco Products (Standardised Packaging)

Debate between Jane Ellison and Barry Gardiner

Thursday 3rd April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Jane Ellison]

I thank my hon. Friend for those comments. The issue is looked at in some detail, and as I said, Sir Cyril said that he was not convinced by the arguments in this respect.

[Barry Gardiner (Brent North) (Lab)]

I came to the House prepared to attack the Minister because I thought she was going to kick this into the long grass. I am absolutely delighted that she has assured the House that she is not going to do that. In the light of the reception from her own Back Benchers, which I am afraid has not been friendly, she can at least be assured of the friendliness from those on the Labour Benches. She is doing exactly the right thing. My father died of lung cancer when I was eight, so I never took up smoking, but many of my friends did. They are now dead and I am still going. What the Minister is doing today will mean that more children will not take up smoking in the first place.

[Jane Ellison]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for those generous comments. I think that many people in the House will have had their personal family situation touched in the way that he mentions. I never knew my grandparents, so I recognise the power of what he says. We are proceeding, as I hope the House can see, in a sensible but robust way. I have signalled my view that I am minded, as a Health Minister, to accept Sir Cyril’s report and the evidence therein, but there are other considerations, and we will take those into account and bring a final decision to the House as soon as possible.