Asked by: Mark Jenkinson (Conservative - Workington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the (a) capital and (b) revenue costs to his Department of the Williamsgate fluoridation scheme.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Education)
The estimated capital cost of the Williamsgate fluoridation plant is £962,252 and the estimated revenue cost is £171,414, both of which include VAT.
Asked by: Mark Jenkinson (Conservative - Workington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to para. 2.1(d) of the Williamsgate treatment works fluoridation variation agreement, how many households were supplied with water from (a) Williamsgate and (b) Quarry Hill works on 31 October 2022.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Education)
By 31 October 2022, United Utilities had begun to transition the area supplied by Quarry Hill water treatment works onto the new supply from Williamsgate water treatment works.
The area served by the outlet main leaving Williamsgate water treatment works is the same as the area that was supplied by Quarry Hill water treatment works. The estimated number of properties covered by this area is 8,354. The number of properties that were supplied by Quarry Hill water treatment works before the transition was an estimated 8,354 properties.
Asked by: Mark Jenkinson (Conservative - Workington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with regard to the variation agreement of 28 September 2023 on the supply of fluoridated water from the Williamsgate works, what estimate he has made of how many households (a) will be supplied when fluoridation is operational and (b) would have been supplied under the 1968 agreement on 30 June 2022.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Education)
The number of properties that will be supplied by fluoridated water when Williamsgate is operational, under the varied 1968 agreement, is estimated to be 33,884. The number of properties supplied under the 1968 agreement on 30 June 2022 is estimated to be 33,884.
Asked by: Mark Jenkinson (Conservative - Workington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the World Health Organisation on the UK's position on the tenth Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Education)
The Government has not held discussions with the World Health Organisation regarding the United Kingdom’s position on the conference in question.
All papers, decisions made at the conference, and attendance lists are available at the following link:
Observers can apply to attend the proceedings.
Asked by: Mark Jenkinson (Conservative - Workington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he supports greater inclusion of stakeholders at the Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Education)
The Government has not held discussions with the World Health Organisation regarding the United Kingdom’s position on the conference in question.
All papers, decisions made at the conference, and attendance lists are available at the following link:
Observers can apply to attend the proceedings.
Asked by: Mark Jenkinson (Conservative - Workington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the transparency of the Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Education)
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: Mark Jenkinson (Conservative - Workington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many of the parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco that were obliged to introduce a tobacco track and trace system by 2023 have complied with that obligation.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Shadow Financial Secretary (Treasury)
HMRC does not collect or retain this information. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) secretariat provides information about the implementation and progress of the WHO FCTC on their dedicated website.
The latest Global Progress report on implementation of the Protocol can be found here. We understand the WHO are currently preparing the 2023 version which will be published in due course.
Asked by: Mark Jenkinson (Conservative - Workington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to begin the public consultation on a fluoridation scheme for the Williamsgate treatment works.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Education)
There are no current plans to consult on a fluoridation scheme for the Williamsgate treatment works.
Asked by: Mark Jenkinson (Conservative - Workington)
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 potential environmental impact of plans to start fluoridation from the Williamsgate treatment works on waterways in West Cumbria.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Education)
No specific assessment has been made.
Asked by: Mark Jenkinson (Conservative - Workington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he held discussions with Vahid Beheshti during his recent hunger strike outside his Department; and what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the potential merits of proscribing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.
Answered by David Rutley
On Wednesday 29 March, The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met with Mattie Heaven to discuss the welfare of her husband, Mr Beheshti, and his call for the UK Government to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Lord Ahmad made clear that the UK Government is taking the threats of the Iranian regime, including the IRGC, seriously and highlighted the actions the UK Government is taking to respond robustly to these threats.
The list of proscribed organisations is kept under careful review, but we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription. The UK maintains sanctions on over 300 Iranian individuals and entities including in relation to human rights violations, counter-proliferation, regional activity and support to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. That includes sanctioning the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in its entirety.