Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will request NHS England to permit the prescription of Thiamine capsules as an alternative to tablets.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Clinicians are responsible for making prescribing decisions for their patients, considering best prescribing practice and appropriate national and local guidance.
In respect of the prescribing of unlicensed medicines, the National Health Service’s long-established practice is reflected in professional guidance. Individual patient needs should be fulfilled by, firstly, using a licensed medicine within its licensed indication, or if there is nothing suitable, using a licensed medicine outside its licensed indication. If there is still nothing suitable after this, the clinician can consider using an unlicensed medicine.
Thiamine tablets are available as a licensed medicine. Thiamine capsules are not a licensed medicine. Thiamine supplements can be purchased from pharmacies or shops. These include vitamin B complex tablets and multivitamin tablets where thiamine is listed as an ingredient. NHS guidance states that vitamins and minerals should not be routinely prescribed in primary care as there is insufficient high-quality evidence to demonstrate their clinical effectiveness. However, subject to funding, a clinician can prescribe any product on the NHS that they consider to be clinically necessary for the treatment of their patient unless it is listed in Schedules 1 or 2 of the NHS (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs etc.) Regulations 2004. Parts XVIIIA and XVIIIB of the NHS Drug Tariff list the drugs, medicines and other substance that may not be ordered, or may only be ordered on the NHS in certain circumstances under the above regulations.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the "special status” of the human embryo continues to be upheld in any decisions related to human embryo research; and whether they will make an assessment of the recent Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority consultation, in particular given that it omitted any mention of the protected “special status” of the embryo or any related ethical considerations.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that any decisions related to human embryo research are undertaken in accordance with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended). The Government asked the HFEA to undertake a stakeholder dialogue to identify priorities for modernisation of the Act in 2021, and the report of this work is not expected to be completed until autumn 2023.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to review the safety of abortion pills being sent by post.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has no current plans to commission a review into the practice of sending pills for women to carry out early medical abortion at home.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prosecution of Carla Foster for an offence under section 58 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861; and what consideration they have given to proposing legislation to prevent similar cases from happening, in particular, by reintroducing the requirement for women to be seen in-person at least once before being issued abortion pills.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. Decisions to prosecute in England and Wales are a matter for the independent Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). As with all criminal offences, in deciding whether to bring a prosecution the CPS will apply the two-stage test in the Code for Crown Prosecutors: whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction; and whether a prosecution is needed in the public interest.
Parliament voted to amend the Abortion Act 1967 to allow women in England and Wales to take one or both pills for early medical abortion at home. Women should be given the choice to either have an in-person consultation with a clinician or to have a virtual consultation, and if eligible, will be able to take both pills for early medical abortion at home. We have been clear that abortion providers should not move to a digital by default approach.
There are no plans to review or change abortion laws. As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the government adopts a neutral stance.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which non-compliant vaping products are being sold to British consumers; and what conversations they have had with (1) Trading Standards authorities, and (2) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, about removing non-compliant products from sale.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made. However, last year, we did provide funding to the Chartered Institute of Trading Standards to undertake a programme of test purchasing using young people aged under 18 years old. They found a non-compliance rate of 33% for under 18 year old sales and 25% of the products purchased were non-compliant and should not have been on sale in this country.
The Government expects industry and vaping manufacturers to comply with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR) requiring notification to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before a vape is sold in the United Kingdom. We hold regular conversations with the MHRA regarding the vaping notification system and to disseminate information about notified vapes to support local enforcement.
Where there is evidence of non-compliance to TRPR we work with the relevant enforcement authorities to ensure that this is remedied.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care on 24 November 2022 (92381), why products containing over 50 per cent of fruit, nuts and seeds are subject to restrictions applied to products high in fat, salt and sugar, when no assessment has been made of the levels of consumption by children of such products.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 apply to products that are high in fat, sugar or salt found in categories of food and drink that contribute substantially to children's sugar and calorie intakes, are heavily promoted and therefore are most concern for childhood obesity. To determine if a product is in scope of the restrictions, the product must meet two criteria. First, the product must fall in one of the 13 categories listed in the regulations. The categories mostly align with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities sugar and calorie reduction and reformulation programmes. The categories chosen were informed by consumption data of everyday foods that contribute to the intakes of children up to the age of 18 years old.
Once a product is found to be in one of those 13 categories, the Nutrient Profiling Model 2004/05 and associated 2011 technical guidance provides an overall assessment of the nutritional content of products. If a food product scores four or more or a drink product scores one or more, then the product is considered less healthy and is therefore in scope of the restrictions.
Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the levels of consumption by children, sweet biscuits and bars containing over 50% of fruit, nuts and seeds, are in scope of the promotions regulations and included in the biscuit category of the sugar reduction programme as they are likely to be eaten in a similar way, and at the same type of eating occasion, as cereal bars.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks made by Baroness Penn on 4 February (HL Deb col 1215), and the remarks made by the former Minister of State for the Department of Health and Social Care on 30 March (HC Deb col 865), why they did not consult on the scope of products subject to restrictions on foods high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS), before the instore aspect of those HFSS restrictions the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 came into force on 1 October.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government consulted on the product categories in scope of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 between 12 January 2019 and 6 April 2019. The advertising restrictions as referred to in the remarks of 4 February and 30 March are separate restrictions and have not come into force.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities' investigation into potential breaches of the prohibition of characterising flavours in tobacco products, what specific issues have arisen in the export of cigarettes to Roswell Park; whether the correct exports process was followed; and when they expect the investigation to conclude.
Answered by Lord Kamall
Following an open tender process, King’s College London (KCL) was appointed to undertake testing of a range of products to support the investigation into potential breaches of the prohibition of characterising flavours in tobacco products. KCL’s bid stated that they intended to subcontract the laboratory testing stage to Roswell Park, a world-leading tobacco research and testing institute.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities continues to work with KCL to ensure that all cigarette brands sent to Roswell Park for analytic destructive testing are exported in compliance with regulations. We expect outcomes from the testing to be available by the end of March 2022.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities' investigation into potential breaches of the prohibition of characterising flavours in tobacco products, why an American organisation was appointed to undertake the testing rather than a UK one.
Answered by Lord Kamall
Following an open tender process, King’s College London (KCL) was appointed to undertake testing of a range of products to support the investigation into potential breaches of the prohibition of characterising flavours in tobacco products. KCL’s bid stated that they intended to subcontract the laboratory testing stage to Roswell Park, a world-leading tobacco research and testing institute.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities continues to work with KCL to ensure that all cigarette brands sent to Roswell Park for analytic destructive testing are exported in compliance with regulations. We expect outcomes from the testing to be available by the end of March 2022.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Greenhalgh on 3 November (HL Deb, col 632), when they will publish the results of Public Health England's research into evidence around places of worship and the proliferation of the COVID-19 virus.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Public Health England had not been requested to research and publish detailed specific data on the numbers of COVID-19 cases related to place of worship and allied settings on outbreak investigation. This is now being performed.