Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of obesity; and what steps her Department is taking to help tackle obesity.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is delivering a wide range of measures to reduce the numbers of both adults and children who are overweight, or living with obesity. To date this includes legislative measures to limit the advertising, and location and price promotion, of less healthy products, and to ensure calorie levels are provided on menus when eating out of the home. Impact assessments for the legislated measures suggest there will be substantial health benefits, as well as savings to the National Health Service, accrued.
We have seen important successes through the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), which between 2015 and 2020 has seen sugar levels reduced by 46% in, and over 46,000 tonnes of sugar removed from, products in scope of the levy. Data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey from 2019 shows that sugar intakes have fallen for some age groups. In older children and adolescents, this appears to be partly driven by soft drinks contributing less to sugar intakes, likely as a result of the changes made to drinks included in the SDIL. Further information from the survey is available at the following link:
A paper on the association of obesity in primary school children and the SDIL suggests that the reduction in the sugar content of soft drinks delivered by the SDIL could have prevented up to 5,000 cases of obesity in girls in the last year of primary school. Reductions were greatest in girls who attended schools in the 40% of the most deprived areas. Further information from the paper is available at the following link:
https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004160
The voluntary reformulation programme requires businesses reduce levels of sugar, salt, and calories in everyday food and drink. Levels of sugar have reduced in breakfast cereals, yogurts, and pre-packed milk-based drinks by 15%, 13.5%, and 29.7% respectively, between 2015 and 2020. Levels of salt have reduced in some products by 20%.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much her Department (a) paid in apprenticeship levy fees and (b) spent from its apprenticeship levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has contributed £1,013,354 in levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023. During the same period, the Department spent £354,742 from the levy fund.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the potential merits of adopting a public health approach to tackling gambling harms.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department regularly engages with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on tackling gambling-related harms, and will continue to work closely on the implementation of the gambling white paper commitments, in particular, the implementation of the new statutory levy on gambling operators.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps with the drinks industry to reduce the level of (a) sugar and (b) calories in pre-packed milk-based drinks.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Milk based drinks are included in the Government’s voluntary sugar reduction programme as they are excluded from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL). Businesses across industry were asked to deliver a 20% sugar reduction in these drinks by 2021. Between 2017 and 2020, sugar and calories in pre-packed milk based drinks sold through retail have reduced by 29.7% and 20%, respectively. Pre-packed milk substitute drinks, such as soya, oat and almond based products, have reduced sugar and calories by 6.9% and 8%, respectively.
The final assessment of industry progress on reducing the sugar and calorie content of milk based drinks is expected to be published in 2024. HM Treasury said it would reconsider the exemption of milk based drinks from SDIL if insufficient reductions had been achieved by 2021.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will hold discussions with the food industry on reducing the sugar content in (a) food and (b) drink products.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As she has done in previous ministerial roles, the current Secretary of State will recuse herself on departmental issues relating to outside interests, all of which have been declared to the House and under the Ministerial Code.
Discussions have been held with businesses by the Minister for Public Health, and officials, since 2015, on the actions they can take to reduce the sugar content of food and drink products.
The Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) came in to force in April 2018. Between 2015 and 2020, levels of sugar in drinks subject to SDIL reduced by 46%, removing over 45,000 tonnes of sugar, while sales increased by approximately 21%. The reductions were spread evenly across all socio-economic groups.
Milk based drinks are excluded from the levy but are included in the voluntary sugar reduction programme. To date, sugar and calories in pre-packed milk based drinks sold through retail have reduced by 29.7% and 20%, respectively. Pre-packed milk substitute drinks have reduced sugar and calories by 6.9% and 8%, respectively.
The voluntary sugar reduction programme also includes the foods that contribute most to the sugar intakes of children aged up to 18 years old. Between 2015 and 2020, reductions in sugar levels were seen in all categories, with breakfast cereals and yogurts and fromage frais showing the greatest change with reductions of 14.9% and 13.5%, respectively, and removing 21,960 tonnes of sugar.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has held recent discussions with (a) food and drink manufacturers and (b) high street retailers on taking steps to reduce the sugar content of iced coffee products.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Engagement continues with trade associations and businesses on the need for further progress, beyond what has already been made, to reduce the sugar content of iced coffee products.
As these products are excluded from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), guidelines to reduce the sugar content of milk based drinks, including iced coffee products, by 20% by 2021 form part of the voluntary sugar reduction programme. Progress to date shows that sugar and calories in pre-packed milk based drinks sold through retail have reduced by 29.7% and 20%, respectively. Pre-packed milk substitute drinks have reduced sugar and calories by 6.9% and 8%, respectively.
A further report detailing progress on sugar reductions in these products, between 2017 and 2021, is due in 2024. This data will enable HM Treasury to consider whether to take these drinks into the levy, which it committed to when the SDIL came in to force in 2018.
Asked by: Simon Jupp (Conservative - East Devon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the costs of social care are funded by the adult social care precept charged by local authorities.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The total value of the precept each year includes all the annual increases set by councils since 2016/17, and the Government does not publish this total. We cannot therefore calculate the proportion of adult social care spend each year funded from the precept. However, the Government publishes the amount raised by the increase in the adult social care precept each year. In 2023/24, councils could increase the precept by up to 2%, raising an estimated maximum of £561 million.
The evidence review for Adult Social Care Reform, published in December 2021, estimated that up to 70% of total adult social care spend is from public sources.
The impact of the social care precept varies across the country, depending upon the decisions that local authorities make about how much precept to levy and how much it needs to spend on adult social care.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
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 with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce sugar consumption in the UK.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is delivering mandatory and voluntary policies which support reformulation of foods and drinks to reduce levels of sugar and policies that reduce the promotion and advertising of high sugar products to children. These include the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) and a voluntary reformulation programme to encourage businesses to incrementally lower sugar levels in everyday foods. This means consumers can eat more healthily without having to change their diets.
Between 2015 and 2020 reductions had been delivered in all product categories in the sugar reduction programme. The greatest changes were reductions of 14.9% and 13.5% in average sugar levels in retailer and manufacturer branded breakfast cereals and yogurts and fromage frais, respectively. The average sugar content of drinks subject to SDIL has reduced by 46% between 2015 and 2020.
Restrictions on the placement of less healthy products in key selling locations in store and online came in to force in October 2022. Restrictions on the sale of less healthy products by volume price promotions, and on the advertising of less healthy products, are both due to be implemented from 1 October 2025 and are expected to support further sugar reduction.
The major conditions strategy: case for change and our strategic framework, published in August 2023, included a commitment to work with stakeholders and industry to reduce sugar, salt and calories in food, including in baby food and drink.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 implications for his policies of childhood obesity levels in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle childhood obesity in each of those areas.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) collects data on children aged four to five years old (Reception) and 10 to 11 years old (Year 6). The following table shows data from the NCMP on the percentage of children living with obesity in Reception and Year 6 in the academic year 2022-23. Data is not available at Parliamentary constituency level but is available at local authority and regional levels:
Area | Reception (%) | Year 6 (%) |
Enfield | 10.8 | 28.0 |
London | 9.3 | 24.8 |
Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support children and families to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. Local authorities can fund behavioural weight management services from their Public Health Grant.
In England, new regulations on out-of-home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of less healthy products in key selling locations in store and online came into force in October 2022. The location restrictions are the single most impactful obesity policy in reducing children’s calorie consumption and are expected to accrue health benefits of over £57 billion and provide savings to the NHS of over £4 billion over the next 25 years.
We are also working with the food industry to make further progress on reformulation and ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices. We have seen important successes including the average sugar content of drinks subject to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy decreasing by 46% between 2015 and 2020. There has also been success in some categories of the sugar reduction programme, including a 14.9% reduction of sugar in retailer- and manufacturer-branded breakfast cereals and a 13.5% reduction in yogurts and fromage frais.
Asked by: Chloe Smith (Conservative - Norwich North)
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 Secretary of State Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the potential merits of (a) amending the National Planning Policy Framework and (b) introducing regulations governing the future Infrastructure Levy to ensure that sufficient GP and dental services are provided alongside housing developments.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the Primary Care Recovery Plan, we committed to reviewing the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and planning guidance to ensure primary care infrastructure can be supported through the planning system where new development creates a need for it.
We continue to work closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities to ensure these commitments are met through its cross-government engagement. This will take place as part of the latest NPPF refresh as well as through negotiations on the future Infrastructure Levy, as the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill has received Royal Assent.
Integrated care boards will play a key future role in partnering with Local Planning Authorities to ensure their local Infrastructure Delivery Strategies accurately capture the vision for healthcare in the area.