Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the causes of regional variation in rates of iron deficiency and anaemia.

Public Health England (PHE) has assessed the prevalence of iron deficiency in the United Kingdom as a whole and in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as part of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. The results indicate little difference between the UK countries. Numbers are too small to permit a more detailed regional analysis and no further assessment has been made.

PHE provides public–facing advice on how to achieve the dietary recommendations for iron as part of its general advice on a healthy balanced diet, as set out in the Eatwell Guide.