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Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes: Health Education
Tuesday 20th February 2024

Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)

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 help raise public awareness of the risks of vaping.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping among children. Youth vaping has tripled in the last three years, and one in five children now use a vape. The health advice is clear, if you don’t smoke, don’t vape – and children should never vape. That is why we are taking decisive action to ban disposable vapes alongside broader measures to restrict flavours, vape packaging and where vapes are displayed. We will introduce legislation as soon as possible.

The department delivers a range communications and media activity to provide updates on vaping policy and raise public awareness of the risks of vaping – for example, Ministers and the Chief Medical Officer regularly undertake broadcast interviews. The department is also currently in the process of developing new advice and guidance for the Better Health website.

Over the past two years we have also taken several steps to increase training resources and support available for teachers and schools. In October 2022, we published new content on the risks of vaping for young people on the FRANK and Better Health websites and have provided input to educational resources produced by partners including the PSHE Association.

The department is currently in conversations with leading technology and social media platforms to reduce the visibility of any content that might glamourise vaping to children and young people, while increasing and enhancing the signposting to trusted sources of information on the harms to children from vaping.


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes: Advertising
Tuesday 20th February 2024

Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of advertising vape products (a) in sports venues and (b) on sports kits on health outcomes.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping among children. Youth vaping has tripled in the last three years, and one in five children now use a vape. The health advice is clear: if you don’t smoke, don’t vape, and children should never vape. In our recent consultation response, we set out our plan to introduce legislation as soon as possible to further crack down on youth vaping by providing powers to restrict flavours, point of sale and packaging of vaping products.

In regard to advertising and sponsorship, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 January 2024 to Question 11133.

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact of advertising vape products in sports venues and on sports kits on health outcomes.


Written Question
Multiple Sclerosis: Menopause
Tuesday 6th February 2024

Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support research into the potential impact of menopause on people with multiple sclerosis.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds research on menopause, but it is not currently funding any specific research into the potential impact of menopause on people with multiple sclerosis.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and we want to ensure that we answer the most important research questions and address topics that make the biggest difference to patients, and the public. On 18 October 2023, World Menopause Day, the James Lind Alliance (JLA) launched a Priority Setting Partnership focused on menopause. This initiative engages women who have experienced menopause as well as healthcare professionals, to identify research priorities. This will result in the creation of a public Top 10 list that researchers can access and consider as a focus for their work. The final priority setting process will be a full day workshop facilitated by the JLA in October 2024.


Written Question
Cancer: Screening
Tuesday 6th February 2024

Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of women who (a) have and (b) do not have multiple sclerosis attended (i) cancer screening appointments, (ii) mammograms and (iii) cervical screening appointments in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

National Health Service screening programmes do not collect data on an individual’s long-term condition, and therefore no data is available on what proportion of women who have multiple sclerosis, participate in cancer screening programmes.

Under the Equality Act 2010, and the Health and Social Care Act 2012, NHS screening providers have a legal duty to make sure screening services are accessible to everyone, including people with long term conditions, who may have issues with access.

The following table provides data on the percentage of coverage for the three cancer screening programmes, breast, cervical and bowel, within the age groups invited for NHS screenings, in England over the last five years:

2016/17

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

Breast Screening – ages 50 to 71 years old

74.9%

74.6%

74.2%

64.2%

65.3%

66.4%

Cervical Screening – ages 25 to 64 years old

71.4%

71.9%

72.2%

70.2%

69.9%

68.7%

Bowel Screening – ages 60 to 74 years old

59.2%

59.5%

60.5%

64.3%

66.1%

70.3%


Note: Data for bowel cancer screening is not separated based on sex.


Written Question
Dementia: Research
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure that funding provided by her Department for research into dementia is allocated on the basis of whether people undertaking that research reflect the diversity of people affected by that illness.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is strongly committed to supporting research into dementia. Governmental responsibility for delivering dementia research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation.

The NIHR is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. When populations are excluded from health and care research it leads to biases, bad science, and skewed results. The NIHR understands that more diverse and inclusive health and care research can prove whether medicines and treatments will benefit people from all backgrounds, and for that reason it supports Join Dementia Research to increase the number and diversity of people participating in dementia research. Based on the latest published data, the diversity of research participants in NIHR-funded Randomised Control Trials (RCTs) in all areas of disease in 2022, mirrored the 2011 census data on ethnicity and sex across England and Wales. Data shows that NIHR RCT research participants were 86% white, 4% black, 5% Asian, and 5% of other minority ethnic groups. Male and female participation was equal to the population, at 49% and 51%, respectively. The NIHR strives to develop researchers from multiple disciplines, specialisms, geographies and backgrounds, and works to address barriers to career progression arising from characteristics such as sex, race or disability. Diverse people and communities shape NIHR funded research.


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes: Advertising
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is her Department's policy to ban the promotion and advertisement of vaping products (a) in sports venues and (b) on sports kits.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 outline restrictions on the marketing and promotion of vapes, and are available at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/507/contents/made

This includes a ban on advertising on television, radio and through information society services, such as internet advertising or commercial email. We also work closely with the Advertising Standards Authority, which investigates advertising on social media platforms.

There are no current plans to ban the promotion and advertisement of vaping products in sports venues and on sports kits. The Government’s response to the recent smoking and vaping consultation sets out our plan to introduce legislation as soon as possible. The legislation will introduce measures to crack down on youth vaping by restricting flavours, point of sale, and packaging for vaping products.


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce the prevalence of vaping among people who have never smoked tobacco.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Vaping is rightly used by adults as a tool to quit smoking, but the health advice is clear that if you do not smoke, do not vape, and children should never vape.

On 12 October 2023, we launched a public consultation, seeking views on creating the first smokefree generation, our plans to crack down on youth vaping by reducing the appeal, availability and affordability of vapes to our children, and options to ensure the law is enforced. The consultation closed on 6 December 2023, and we will respond in the coming weeks ahead of the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she last met representatives of the vaping industry.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government and devolved administrations have consulted on plans to create a smokefree generation and tackle youth vaping, and as a part of this, officials meet with different stakeholders. The Secretary of State has not met with representatives of the vaping industry.

The consultation closed in December 2023 and we will publish our consultation response in the coming weeks ahead of the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes: Health Hazards
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)

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 research into the potential impact of vaping on health.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The best thing a smoker can do for their health is to quit smoking. As shown in the recently published Nicotine Vaping in England Report there is evidence that vapes are less harmful to health than smoking.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), previously Public Health England, has published detailed evidence updates on vapes/e-cigarettes. These reviews report on the safety, effectiveness and impact of vapes since 2014. The last report is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1107701/Nicotine-vaping-in-England-2022-report.pdf

OHID will continue to closely monitor the evidence base of research on vapes, including their long-term impact on health and health behaviours.


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes
Monday 11th September 2023

Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)

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 estimate of the proportion of people who vape who were not formerly tobacco smokers.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

Data from the Office for National Statistics adult smoking habits survey show that around 2.4% of people who have never smoked reported that they were daily or occasional vape users in 2022, an increase from 1.7% in 2021.