Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to lay regulations under the Health and Care Act introducing further advertising restrictions on TV and online for less healthy food products.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 1 October 2025, the Government will introduce a United Kingdom-wide 9:00pm television watershed for the advertising of less healthy products, and a restriction of paid-for advertising of these products online. The Government and regulators are working through the necessary steps to implement and enforce the regulations. These steps include consulting, finalising guidance, and laying regulations.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by Bite Back entitled Fuel us, don't fool us, published in February 2024, what steps she is taking to implement the 9 pm watershed restriction of unhealthy food and drink adverts online and on television.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 1 October 2025, the Government will introduce a United Kingdom-wide 9pm TV watershed for less healthy products and a restriction of paid-for advertising of these products online. The Government and regulators are now carrying out crucial processes to prepare for implementing and enforcing the regulations by 1 October 2025. The Government welcomes Bite Back’s report, Fuel Us Don’t Fool Us and will consider its wider recommendations.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of funding UK-based studies of the (a) use of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine to prevent bovine tuberculosis, (b) period of effectiveness of that vaccine and (c) benefits of that vaccine to the beef industry.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Developing a deployable cattle bovine TB vaccine is one of the government’s top priorities. Field trials have been taking place in England and Wales since 2021, following a major breakthrough by government scientists in the development of a new DIVA skin test to Detect Infected among Vaccinated Animals. The aim of these trials is to gather information to enable both the CattleBCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine and the new DIVA skin test to be authorised for use and recognised internationally.
CattleBCG stimulates a protective immune response in vaccinated cattle. In the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)’s experimental challenge model vaccinated animals display a range of protection and demonstrate a 12 month duration of immunity. The extent of disease reduction from CattleBCG depends on many factors including severity of exposure to bTB and herd immunity. Establishing the true level of protection afforded by vaccines is only possible by monitoring and assessing performance after licensing and routine use in the population vaccinated. When combined with existing disease control measures, we are confident that widespread vaccination will help to further reduce the incidence of bTB and its impact on cattle farms in England.
We continue to work in partnership with stakeholders, alongside colleagues in Scotland and Wales, to assess how this potential new tool could be deployed in the future and provide the greatest possible benefit to our herds for generations to come.
Information on the development of a bovine TB cattle vaccine can be found on the TB Hub at https://tbhub.co.uk/resources/frequently-asked-questions/development-of-a-deployable-tuberculosis-vaccine-for-cattle/.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of declaring (a) Orchidaceae, (b) Dendranthema, (c) Dianthus, (d) Gypsophila and (e) Solidago from the EU as medium risk on the floristry industry.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The new import health control regime aims to achieve the lowest regulatory obligation for businesses, consistent with the need to protect biosecurity and public health and to safeguard the UK’s reputation for high regulatory standards.
We will work closely with trade partners to ensure that the process and rationale for categorisation of commodities is understood and seen to be robust and fair. However, it should be noted that categorisation is based on the UK’s risk assessment, not stakeholder feedback.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help support women and girls in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We trebled our aid commitment during Financial Year 23-24 to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme and the Egyptian Red Crescent. This includes £4.25 million to the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, to provide life-saving support to vulnerable women and girls in Gaza. This support is expected to reach about 111,500 women, around 1 in 5 of the adult women in Gaza. It will support up to 100 community midwives, the distribution of around 20,000 menstrual hygiene management kits and 45,000 clean delivery kits.
We have also provided targeted support for children through a £5.75 million contribution. This is supporting work to assist over 5,800 children with severe malnourishment and 853,000 children, adolescents and caregivers affected by the conflict, to receive emergency and child protection services, including mental health and psychosocial support.
Through our Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict programmes and dedicated funding totalling £60 million since 2012, we are leading work internationally to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and strengthen justice and support for all survivors. We stand ready to use our PSVI expertise and tools to ensure victims and survivors of CRSV, both Israeli and Palestinian, receive the holistic and survivor-centred support they need.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the potential (a) presence and (b) spread of (i) antibiotic-resistant and (ii) antimicrobial-resistant organisms that are hazardous to human health in rivers.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have been working with the Environment Agency and the UK Health Security Agency, to trial methods for detecting and quantifying antibiotic resistant bacteria in 3 river catchments in England and to provide example data on their presence and prevalence. The work involved sampling river waters at sites along the length of each river and subject to different land uses and potential sources of resistant bacteria. We expect to publish the results in the summer. The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of (a) antibiotic-resistant and (b) antimicrobial-resistant organisms in waterborne bacteria networks on public health.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have been working with the Environment Agency and the UK Health Security Agency, to trial methods for detecting and quantifying antibiotic resistant bacteria in 3 river catchments in England and to provide example data on their presence and prevalence. The work involved sampling river waters at sites along the length of each river and subject to different land uses and potential sources of resistant bacteria. We expect to publish the results in the summer. The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of each Integrated care systems having a (a) specialist allergy nurse and (b) dietitian.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The majority of services for people living with allergies are commissioned locally through integrated care boards (ICBs), which are best placed to commission services according to local need. Specialised allergy services are provided for patients with severe and complex allergic conditions, or those who have common allergic conditions for which conventional management has failed and for whom specified specialist treatments are required. In 2023/24, these services are jointly commissioned by NHS England Specialised Commissioning and the ICBs, in line with the published Specialist Allergy Service Specification.
There is an established Clinical Reference Group (CRG), which is responsible for providing national clinical advice and leadership for specialised immunology and allergy services. The CRG uses its expertise to advise NHS England on the best ways to provide specialised services. This includes developing national standards in the form of service specifications and policies. The CRG commenced a review of the current service specification in May 2023, which is expected to be complete by summer 2024. The outcome of the service specification review will be an updated specification which references up-to-date guidance and takes into account the latest evidence base, to clearly define the standards of care for commissioned specialised services.
To help promote awareness of allergies, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on a range of allergy conditions, including food allergy in under 19-year-olds, anaphylaxis, and drug allergy. The NICE promotes its guidance via its website, newsletters, and other media.
To support clinicians in the implementation of clear care pathways, the NICE website has guidance to support diagnosis and treatment of a range of allergy conditions, including how to identify allergies and when to refer to specialist care, and how to ensure allergies are recorded in their medical records. The NICE website also provides primary care practitioners with access to clinical knowledge summaries outlining the current evidence base and practical guidance on a range of skin conditions.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to improve allergy awareness in health care settings.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The majority of services for people living with allergies are commissioned locally through integrated care boards (ICBs), which are best placed to commission services according to local need. Specialised allergy services are provided for patients with severe and complex allergic conditions, or those who have common allergic conditions for which conventional management has failed and for whom specified specialist treatments are required. In 2023/24, these services are jointly commissioned by NHS England Specialised Commissioning and the ICBs, in line with the published Specialist Allergy Service Specification.
There is an established Clinical Reference Group (CRG), which is responsible for providing national clinical advice and leadership for specialised immunology and allergy services. The CRG uses its expertise to advise NHS England on the best ways to provide specialised services. This includes developing national standards in the form of service specifications and policies. The CRG commenced a review of the current service specification in May 2023, which is expected to be complete by summer 2024. The outcome of the service specification review will be an updated specification which references up-to-date guidance and takes into account the latest evidence base, to clearly define the standards of care for commissioned specialised services.
To help promote awareness of allergies, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on a range of allergy conditions, including food allergy in under 19-year-olds, anaphylaxis, and drug allergy. The NICE promotes its guidance via its website, newsletters, and other media.
To support clinicians in the implementation of clear care pathways, the NICE website has guidance to support diagnosis and treatment of a range of allergy conditions, including how to identify allergies and when to refer to specialist care, and how to ensure allergies are recorded in their medical records. The NICE website also provides primary care practitioners with access to clinical knowledge summaries outlining the current evidence base and practical guidance on a range of skin conditions.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2024 to Question 17736 on Import Controls, if he will make an estimate of the fees charged by privately-run Border Control Posts when processing consignments which are subject to the Border Target Operating Model.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Commercial Border Control Post fees are a business decision for the operators of those sites. Port Health Authorities (PHAs) have charging mechanisms in place for covering the costs of checking sanitary and phytosanitary consignments, and the Government, in conjunction with devolved administrations, is working with PHAs to review fee levels and support the implementation of new checks of imports from the EU in early 2024.