Asked by: Lord Woolley of Woodford (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Black Child Clean Air Report published by Global Black Maternal Health in June 2023, which indicated that almost half of all Black mothers do not feel educated on the foetal impact of air pollution exposure during pregnancy.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
While no specific assessment has been made, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are working with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to review the Air Quality Information System to ensure members of the public, and vulnerable groups, have the information they need to protect themselves and understand their impact on air quality. UKHSA’s Cleaner Air Programme also aims to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution and achieve better outcomes for all, particularly for the most vulnerable populations including pregnant women and ethnic minority groups.
Asked by: Lord Woolley of Woodford (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly that approximately half of London’s recorded childhood asthma hospitalisations between 2021 and 2022 were from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is aware of the findings of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly on childhood asthma hospitalisations in London. NHS London’s Children and Young People’s Asthma programme run a yearly #AskAboutAsthma campaign to raise the awareness of asthma across the whole system. The focus in 2022 was on health inequalities and asthma care for all, and to support the work around implementing Core20plus5 for children. This included raising awareness amongst asthma clinicians and commissioners to improve the care for children and young people from specific ethnic minority groups. As part of Core20plus5, NHS England has also worked with integrated care systems and their paediatric asthma networks to focus on these groups.
Asked by: Lord Woolley of Woodford (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that at least one member of New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group has expert knowledge of the dental profession.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) is an advisory group that advises on the threats posed by new and emerging respiratory virus threats and options for their management. Membership is decided by the Chair and signed off by the Chief Medical Officer.
Currently there is no specific dental expertise among NERVTAG membership, as the group cannot have representation from every occupation it covers. However, it frequently brings in experts for meetings on specific topics.