Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that businesses in Northern Ireland are not placed at a competitive disadvantage compared with businesses in Great Britain should the European Commission proceed with proposed food supplement regulations applying in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Currently, Northern Ireland continues to apply relevant European Union (EU) food supplements legislation under the Windsor Framework.
The Government is negotiating a new strategic partnership with the EU called a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement. It is the Government’s intention that the agreement will take effect in mid-2027. Legislation relating to food supplements and the addition of vitamins and minerals to foods is within scope of the SPS agreement.
An SPS agreement would mean that legislation in-scope of the agreement in Great Britain, would dynamically align with equivalent legislation in the EU. This also means that regulations for businesses in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland will be aligned. Therefore, if EU Food Supplements Regulations are updated in the future to include maximum levels of vitamins and minerals, these regulations in Great Britain will be updated, too.
Officials continue to engage with devolved governments across the United Kingdom through the Nutrition-related Labelling, Composition and Standards (NLCS) Common Framework which aims to reach common positions on nutrition-related labelling, composition and standards legislation in the interests of the UK internal market.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 to support air ambulance charities and ensure planning policy does not impact on 24/7 access to hospital helipads.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 16 July 2026 in response to Question 16317.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the number of patients aged 80 and over who have experienced corridor care in Accident and Emergency departments in England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The specific information requested by the Hon. Member is not centrally held, but we recognise that older people, particularly those living with frailty or other complex needs, can be particularly vulnerable to the risks associated with prolonged waits, overcrowding and receiving care in inappropriate environments. On the action we are taking as a result, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 16 July in response to Question 17438.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 to (a) reduce the use of corridor care for older patients and (b) improve timely access to hospital beds.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The specific information requested by the Hon. Member is not centrally held, but we recognise that older people, particularly those living with frailty or other complex needs, can be particularly vulnerable to the risks associated with prolonged waits, overcrowding and receiving care in inappropriate environments. On the action we are taking as a result, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 16 July in response to Question 17438.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Accident and Emergency corridor care on patients aged 80 years and over.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The specific information requested by the Hon. Member is not centrally held, but we recognise that older people, particularly those living with frailty or other complex needs, can be particularly vulnerable to the risks associated with prolonged waits, overcrowding and receiving care in inappropriate environments. On the action we are taking as a result, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 16 July in response to Question 17438.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to social care services for the elderly.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
In England, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to meet the eligible needs of the people in their area including the elderly.
Local authorities in England are also tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are delivering adult social care, specifically how local authorities are performing against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. All reports and ratings are published on the CQC’s website.
The Government is making over £4.6 billion of additional funding available in England for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to strengthen follow up support for self-harm patients once they leave emergency services care.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
NHS England expects all patients presenting to emergency departments following self-harm or suicidal ideation to receive a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment by appropriately trained mental health professionals prior to discharge in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng225
The NHS Medium Term Planning Framework states that in 2026/27, mental health practitioners across all providers should undertake training and deliver care in line with Staying safe from suicide: Best practice guidance for safety assessment, formulation and management, which states that all care should be undertaken using the biopsychosocial approach.
Through the national mental health liaison programme, all Type 1 Emergency Departments now have access to 24/7 liaison mental health services, supporting timely assessment, safety planning, and onward care. Responsibility for clinical governance and safe discharge arrangements rests with local providers and integrated care systems, which are expected to have policies in place covering risk assessment, follow-up, and patient safety.
NHS England is also supporting systems to strengthen community based mental health support and wider urgent and emergency mental health pathways, including through Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres, crisis alternatives, NHS 111 option 2, and the rollout of Mental Health Emergency Departments. These developments aim to ensure people who self-harm or experience suicidal distress can access timely, compassionate, and therapeutic support both during and following a mental health crisis.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to improve mental health support for prisoners.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
NHS England commissions prison health care services into every prison in England to the equivalence of the community. NHS England’s Service Specification for integrated mental health services in prisons states that patients within secure settings should receive the same level of healthcare as those people in the community, both in terms of the range of interventions available to them which meet their needs, and the quality and standards of those interventions. The specification is available at the following link:
Access to mental health provision is available to every person in prison at any stage of their sentence, this begins at the point of entry. NHS England commissions first night reception screening to review patients’ medical history by a registered nurse or practitioner, with the following purposes: to address immediate health needs and risks; to ensure medication is made available as soon as possible; and to ensure onward referrals to onsite healthcare teams, including mental health services, for both urgent face to face appointments within 24 hours, and routine face to face appointments within five working days, are made. Outside of reception screening, people in prison can be referred or self-refer to mental health services, within those timeframes.
To improve mental health services in prison, NHS England is revising the National Integrated Prison Service Specification to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the prison population.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with international partners to help reduce the presence of harmful contaminants in international food production.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The United Kingdom works closely with international partners through the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the joint Food and Agriculture Organisation, and the World Health Organisation programme to reduce harmful contaminants in the global food supply. The Food Standards Agency is an active member of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene, contributing to the development of science- and risk-based international standards, guidelines, and codes of practice.
The UK chaired the revision of the Codex Principles of Food Hygiene and continues to play a leading role in international work on reducing contaminants, including co-chairing Codes of Practice on lead, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, and ochratoxin A.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of levels of compliance with UK food hygiene standards.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for food safety and hygiene in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The FSA also monitors and oversees the inspections undertaken by local authorities.
The FSA publishes an annual review of food standards across the United Kingdom, with Our Food 2024 being the most recently published report, which is available at the following link:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69d91488eb7e7bc565170248/Our-Food-2024.pdf
Further information can also be found in the FSA’s Consolidated Annual Report and Accounts (2024-25) at the following link:
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, which applies in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, is an FSA and local authority partnership initiative, providing consumers with information about hygiene standards found in food business establishments at the time of local authority inspections. Of those businesses in-scope of the scheme, as of the end of March 2026, 96.9% have a rating of 3, generally satisfactory, or better, and 77.5% of businesses have achieved the top rating of 5, very good.