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  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Sierra Leone regarding the Safe Abortion Act 2015.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government was encouraged by the successful passage of the Safe Abortion Bill through the Sierra Leone Parliament last December. We are disappointed that interventions from stakeholders outside Parliament meant that the Bill was not signed into law and is undergoing further consultation.

  • Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the cost of the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation in each of the last 10 years.

    Lord Bates

    The costs to the Government for the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation since 2011 are set out below:

    2011-2012: £213,100

    2012-2013: £201,700

    2013-2014: £213,100

    2014-2015: £270,000 (plus an additional £350,800 for the statutory Investigatory Powers Review, as required by section 7 of the Data Protection and Investigatory Powers Act 2014)

    2015-2016 (to the half year point in September): £135,800

    It is not possible to provide an accurate breakdown of the Independent Reviewer’s costs prior to 2011.

  • Earl Baldwin of Bewdley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Earl Baldwin of Bewdley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 19 January (HL Deb, col 641) about the potential fortification of bread with folic acid to prevent neural tube defects in pregnancy, why they do not apply the argument around choice and whether or not it is right to medicate the entire population for the benefit of a fairly small part of it” to the fluoridation of water supplies to prevent caries.”

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    It has been the policy of successive governments that decisions on water fluoridation are best taken locally. There is a duty to consult the local population where local authorities propose the establishment of a new water fluoridation scheme. Some areas of the country have water supplies that naturally contain levels of fluoride similar to the target level for water fluoridation schemes where the levels are adjusted.

  • – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 16 January 2013 (HL4464) describing the Childsmile programme as very encouraging”

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    There are a variety of community based oral health improvement programmes that have been shown to be effective in reducing dental decay. No single intervention is likely to provide a solution to oral health improvement priorities and many work together for maximum benefit, for example water fluoridation and fluoride toothpaste.

    Public Health England recently reviewed such programmes and published an evidence informed toolkit entitled; Local authorities improving oral health: commissioning better oral health for children and young people, for local authorities to support their work on oral health improvement. Local authorities can therefore consider a range of oral health improvement programmes (including those which make up the Childsmile programme in Scotland and water fluoridation) and decide which or which combination is most appropriate to their local population’s needs. A copy of the toolkit is attached.

  • Earl Baldwin of Bewdley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Earl Baldwin of Bewdley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 16 January 2013 (HL4464), whether the potential disadvantages as well as advantages of water fluoridation for young children are enjoyed regardless of personal behaviour”.”

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Scientific reviews over many years have shown that water fluoridation is an effective and safe public health measure. It is known that consuming fluoride in water at levels permitted by United Kingdom legislation, whether as a result of fluoridation or present naturally, can contribute to the risk of dental fluorosis, as can other sources of fluoride such as toothpaste if swallowed in excessive amounts.

    In 2014 Public Health England published Water fluoridation Health monitoring report for

    England, acting as guidance for dental teams on the prevention of dental disease in their patients. This included advice on reducing the risk of dental fluorosis from toothpaste ingestion among their patients, in particular young children. A copy of this guidance is attached.

  • Earl Baldwin of Bewdley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Earl Baldwin of Bewdley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the percentage of water involved in fluoridation schemes that reaches the teeth of children it is designed to benefit, taking account of industrial, agricultural, municipal, domestic and other usage, and of the leakage from mains supplies.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The 2008 Water Strategy for England reported that households account for 52% of the use of public water supplies. Around 7% of the water used in homes is used for drinking and cooking; an additional percentage will be used for tooth brushing.

    There are no separate figures for water supplied in fluoridation schemes. Such schemes tend to supply more urban areas and it is reasonable to expect a greater domestic use than would be the case for supplies serving areas with significant agricultural or industrial use.

  • Lord Condon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Condon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in providing alternatives to Operation Stack in Kent in the event of further serious disruption to the operation of the channel ferries or the Channel Tunnel.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government has listened to the communities and businesses of Kent and taken action to deal with the causes and effects of Operation Stack. In Autumn Statement 2015, the Chancellor announced up to £250m for an off-road lorry area.

    Highways England completed a public consultation on proposals on 26 January 2016 and is now carefully assessing all the responses. Subject to the outcome of this assessment, the Government intends to make public its next steps shortly.

    As an interim measure, the Government secured the use of a site at Manston in North Kent last summer. The Department for Transport and Highways England continue to work with Kent partners, including the county and district councils, emergency services, hauliers and ports to reduce the impact of Operation Stack on Kent should it need to be implemented.

  • Baroness Coussins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Coussins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Coussins on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take to ensure that treatment for bladder cancer under the NHS is accessible equally by all patients irrespective of home address.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England is not aware of any general variation in access to bladder cancer treatment.

  • Baroness Coussins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Coussins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Coussins on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the BCG vaccine treatment of bladder cancer.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    We have made no such assessment.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing best practice guidance for the National Health Service.

    NICE published a clinical guideline in February 2015 on the diagnosis and management of bladder cancer which outlines the circumstances in which the Bacille Calmette‑Guérin (BCG) vaccine should be used to treat bladder cancer. A copy of the clinical guideline is attached.

    A bladder cancer quality standard was also published by NICE in December 2015 which refers to BCG treatment for bladder cancer. A copy of the quality standard is attached.

  • Baroness Coussins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Coussins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Coussins on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are giving to the campaign by Public Health England and various cancer charities to raise awareness of bladder cancer.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The “Blood in Pee” campaign focuses on early symptoms of bladder and kidney cancer. The campaign has run twice at a national level from 15 October to 20 November 2013 and 13 October to 23 November 2014, following successful local and regional pilots and will be re-running from 15 February to 31 March 2016. The campaign will use a wide range of media, including national television and radio advertising, to promote the key message “If you notice blood in your pee, even if it’s just the once, tell your doctor”.

    Public Health England (PHE) works closely with the Department and NHS England to ensure that health care professionals are also targeted with campaign information to encourage earlier diagnoses and referrals. PHE also works closely with the devolved administrations to ensure consistency of messages on their own campaigns and initiatives.

    The Department notifies key stakeholders including charities about forthcoming campaigns and has engaged with relevant charities to review the campaign leaflet and source case studies for the bladder and kidney campaign. A copy of the leaflet has been attached

    Information for the general public will be available on NHS Choices. This is an online only resource.