Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the risks to patients arising from the promotion and sale online of ivermectin and other unlicensed or unproven products as treatments for cancer; and what steps the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is taking to prevent the promotion and sale of such products.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) recognises the risks associated with the promotion and sale of ivermectin and other unauthorised or unproven products as treatments for cancer. Ivermectin is not authorised in the United Kingdom for the treatment or prevention of cancer, and claims that it can treat, prevent or cure cancer may mislead patients and risk them delaying or foregoing proven medical treatment.

The MHRA takes robust enforcement action against the illegal promotion, advertising and supply of unauthorised medicines, including online. Through its Criminal Enforcement Unit, the MHRA investigates suspected breaches of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, and has the power to seize illicit medicines and, where appropriate, pursue prosecution.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits for reducing the normal pension age for ambulance workers under the NHS Pension Scheme to bring it into line with the retirement age for police and fire service workers.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Police and fire service workers generally pay higher pension contributions than ambulance staff. Giving ambulance workers the same normal pension age as police and fire service workers would require higher contributions from all NHS Pension Scheme members, and there are currently no plans for such a change.

Under flexible retirement options, ambulance workers can retire before normal pension age with an actuarially reduced pension or access the Early Retirement Reduction Buy Out option to retire up to three years earlier without a reduction, with costs that may be shared with their employers.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government and HMRC on tackling the sale of illegal tobacco in Scotland.

Answered by Melanie Ward - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

I am concerned about the prevalence of illegal tobacco sold in Scotland, and fully support efforts to limit its spread.

The enforcement of trading standards is a devolved matter. I understand that the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland is currently engaging with the Scottish Government and Police Scotland to explore what more can be done to better empower Scottish Trading Standards Officers in dealing with criminality, specifically in ensuring that they have comparable powers to their counterparts in England and Wales in measures such as Closure Orders.

Appointment of Satty Singh as Army Honorary Colonel

Reece Mckie

Cable Street 90th anniversary

Work of Sands and Baby Loss Awareness Week

67th anniversary of the Auchengeich Colliery Disaster

Support for hospices

Civil Service Pension Scheme

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