Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if it remains her policy to allocate £100 million funding toward for weight management services in 2023 and 2024.
Answered by Caroline Johnson
Funding for weight management services for 2023/24 will be subject to normal annual business planning processes.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
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 help tackle obesity.
Answered by Caroline Johnson
New Regulations on out-of-home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways, came into force on 6 April 2022. We are also working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for people to make healthier choices and increase progress on the reformulation of foods. In addition, weight management services are available to support adults and children living with obesity to achieve a healthier weight.
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 discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders on the ability to deliver the Government’s commitment to halve childhood obesity by 2030 in the context of the proposed delay to the implementation of policies to restrict the marketing on high fat, sugar or salt food and drink products; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Department has ongoing discussions with stakeholders on this commitment. In addition, new regulations on out-of-home calorie labelling for out of home food sold in large businesses including restaurants, cafes and takeaways came into force on 6 April 2022. Restrictions on promotions by location will come into force in October 2022. We are continuing to deliver the Better Health: Rewards Scheme Pilot and work on sugar reduction and reformulation. We will support local authorities to deliver the weight management services funded in 2021 and the forthcoming health disparities white paper will set out further measures to improve the nation’s health.
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, what support the NHS provides to people who require weight loss operations.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Patients requiring weight loss operations, or bariatric surgery, would be referred to Tier 4 weight management services. Specialist obesity medical and surgical multi-disciplinary teams provide patients with access to a range of medical specialists as required.
Patients undergoing bariatric surgery usually receive prior care in a Tier 3 weight management service, which can provide complex behavioural interventions delivered by a multidisciplinary team and other specialist services, such as low-calorie diets.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the suspension of the £100 million of funding for weight management services, announced on 4 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of that suspension on other weight management services run by local authorities that were already established prior to the announcement of extra funding in 2021.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Adult Weight Management Services Grant distributed for use in 2021/22 was in addition to local authorities’ existing expenditure on adult tier 2 behavioural weight management services from the Public Health Grant. This funding must be used to commission new or expand existing services and was not intended to replace other funding. In 2022/23, the total Public Health Grant to local authorities is £3.417 billion. Decisions on how the Public Health Grant is spent are made by individual local authorities.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department undertook an impact assessment prior to the suspension of the £100 million of funding for weight management services, announced on 4 March 2021.
Answered by Maggie Throup
While no formal impact assessment has been undertaken, the Department considered the impact of the suspension of this funding alongside the costs of ‘COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19’ within existing budgets. We remain committed to addressing the causes of poor diet, obesity and inactivity and supporting people living with obesity to achieve a healthier weight.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the suspension of the £100 million of funding for weight management services announced on 4 March 2021, whether the Government has plans to reinstate that funding at a future date.
Answered by Maggie Throup
While some healthy weight programmes will continue, the reduction will include £35 million which was to be provided to local authorities for weight management services. Future funding will be subject to the normal business planning processes.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the suspension of funding for weight management services, announced on 4 March 2022, whether that suspension is in respect of the £35 million additional funding provided to local authorities as part of the £100 million announced in 2021 or the entire £100 million that was announced.
Answered by Maggie Throup
While some healthy weight programmes will continue, the reduction will include £35 million which was to be provided to local authorities for weight management services. Future funding will be subject to the normal business planning processes.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department undertook an impact assessment prior to the suspension of the £100 million of funding for weight management services, announced on 4 March 2021.
Answered by Maggie Throup
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are considering when revisiting the NHS Long Term Plan to address obesity in order (1) to improve cardiovascular health, and (2) to reduce dementia risk.
Answered by Lord Kamall
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.