Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the level of therapeutic food procured through UK Overseas Development Assistance (a) directly by the Government and (b) by third party partners, in the latest year for which information is available.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not directly procure therapeutic foods and does not currently hold data on the quantity of therapeutic foods procured by third-party partners using FCDO funds.
Therapeutic foods are primarily procured as part of nutrition-related humanitarian programming. Expenditure on nutrition-related humanitarian programming is captured in the FCDO's annual nutrition accountability reports, which are published 18 months in arrears. The most recent report covers spend from 2022, totalling £238.5 million. This figure which includes funding for food assistance and therapeutic foods, should be viewed as a proxy indicator of the level of investment in such products, rather than a direct measure of procurement. Data on nutrition-related spend for 2023 will be published in Autumn 2025.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to hold discussions with the Reclassification Alliance on the future of medicines reclassification.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) chairs the Reclassification Alliance, a collaborative forum involving the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB), pharmacy bodies and industry stakeholders.
The Alliance was relaunched in July 2023 to explore opportunities for improving the reclassification of medicines in the UK. Although the next meeting has not yet been scheduled, the work of the Alliance remains ongoing. MHRA is working with industry to encourage the application of new therapies for consideration in the over-the-counter setting.
As part of this work, the MHRA has developed an updated reclassification procedure and, in April 2024, published updated reclassification guidance. The MHRA also held a reclassification webinar for industry on 12 November 2024 which focused on the updated procedure and the recently published reclassification guidance.
Further information on the Government’s priorities for reclassification, including the list of conditions and categories identified for potential reclassification, is available at the following link: https://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/2025/02/05/new-opportunities-to-reclassify-medicines-what-you-need-to-know
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of new technologies on the use of animals in medical research.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to the development of alternatives to using animals in science and will publish a strategy to support their adoption later this year.
We support new technologies and approaches that replace animal use in research including organ-on-a-chip, functional genomics and computer modelling.
The impact of individual technical advancements are a matter for individual regulators to consider.
The Government strategy will facilitate the inclusion and adoption of alternative methods in these regulatory contexts.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 report, published on 28 July 2025, what steps his Department plans to take to support initiatives to close the financing gap for (a) food security and (b) nutrition.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are committed to addressing global food insecurity and malnutrition, this includes working to scale-up finance from diverse sources towards more sustainable, nutritious, and resilient food systems. We leverage financial reforms and systems change through the International Financial Institutions and the UN system, and crowd in private and philanthropic investment. This must be done in partnership. We are supporting global initiatives and new approaches to partnership with the Global South, like the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty and the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration to accelerate action and unlock finance. The UK is also a co-founder of the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) and remains committed to its success. The CNF supports partner governments in scaling up a range of high-impact nutrition interventions, including provision of ready-to-use therapeutic foods for the treatment of wasting.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 report published on 28 July 2005, what assessment he has made of the implications for his his policies of the projection that 512 million people will be chronically food insecure in 2030.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The persisting high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition referenced in the report are deeply concerning. We are committed to addressing these, working alongside partners to address urgent humanitarian need and support long-term solutions for food and nutrition security.
We are working to better prevent crises and reduce reliance on emergency aid through early action and resilience building, last year enabling hundreds of thousands of food-insecure households to build resilience to climate and other shocks.
Through our partnerships, like the ones with the Gates Foundation and CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research), we are investing in science and innovation, helping increase nutritious yields for farmers, while protecting critical ecosystems.
We do this in partnership, supporting global initiatives like the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty and the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration to accelerate action and unlock much-needed finance.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 by 2030.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are tackling the catastrophic hunger and malnutrition seen in Sudan, Gaza and beyond. We are also working to reduce the need for humanitarian assistance, supporting long-term solutions for food and nutrition security which boost economies and protect the environment. Last year, we enabled hundreds of thousands of food-insecure households to build resilience to climate and other shocks. We have invested in science and innovation for resilient food security in UK and across Africa. Our partnerships with the Gates Foundation and Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) help increase nutritious yields for farmers, while protecting critical ecosystems.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the Housing Benefits disregard from £5 to £57 for people in supported housing.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those living in Supported and Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department is considering the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.
Despite this challenge, the Housing Benefit taper ensures a person is better off in work than wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence, as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of aligning the Housing Benefit taper rate with that of Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those living in Supported and Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department is considering the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.
Despite this challenge, the Housing Benefit taper ensures a person is better off in work than wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence, as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of recognising the provision of dementia care to individuals as a qualifying disability service for VAT exemption.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Supplies of welfare services, including the provision of care for people with dementia, are exempt from VAT if they are supplied by eligible bodies, such as public bodies or charities.
More generally, VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to consult (a) industry stakeholders and (b) relevant experts on the proposals set out in the Government’s forthcoming strategy on phasing out the use of animal testing.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Government is committed to supporting non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year.
This transition must be science-led and in lock step with partners. The Government has been consulting industry, academia and civil society as this process unfolds. Minister Vallance hosted a roundtable on 05.09.24 with industry representatives and officials have kept in regular contact with industry since then. Ministers and officials also engage with relevant experts including academics, with Lord Vallance meeting the Harries lab at the University of Exeter, and officials opening the Queen Mary University organ-on-a-chip facility.