Tag: Lord Chadlington

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-06-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to provide non-religious support to people with alcohol misuse problems.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Local authorities and their health and wellbeing board partners have responsibility for planning the full range of alcohol services, from early intervention and prevention, through to commissioning alcohol treatment services to meet need in their area and ensure services are accessible to everyone. Furthermore in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) public health guidance (PH 24) Alcohol-use disorders: preventing harmful drinking, Public Health England (PHE) encourages health and social care professionals to carry out Identification and Brief Advice through general practitioners and programmes such as NHS Health Checks and Making Every Contact Count. A copy of the NICE guidance is attached.

The majority of services offer interventions that are non-religious and are based on cognitive behavioural principles with motivational enhancement techniques.

There are a number of online resources to help with alcohol issues, including the One You and NHS Choices websites. One You is an integrated social marketing campaign run by PHE which aims to engage adults in making changes to improve their own health. This includes offering users advice and information about alcohol as well as tools which help monitor their drinking. NHS Choices offers a range of information about alcohol dependence and includes an on online directory of local alcohol services that those worried about their alcohol use can approach for assistance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-06-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what online resources are readily available for people struggling with alcohol misuse.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Local authorities and their health and wellbeing board partners have responsibility for planning the full range of alcohol services, from early intervention and prevention, through to commissioning alcohol treatment services to meet need in their area and ensure services are accessible to everyone. Furthermore in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) public health guidance (PH 24) Alcohol-use disorders: preventing harmful drinking, Public Health England (PHE) encourages health and social care professionals to carry out Identification and Brief Advice through general practitioners and programmes such as NHS Health Checks and Making Every Contact Count. A copy of the NICE guidance is attached.

The majority of services offer interventions that are non-religious and are based on cognitive behavioural principles with motivational enhancement techniques.

There are a number of online resources to help with alcohol issues, including the One You and NHS Choices websites. One You is an integrated social marketing campaign run by PHE which aims to engage adults in making changes to improve their own health. This includes offering users advice and information about alcohol as well as tools which help monitor their drinking. NHS Choices offers a range of information about alcohol dependence and includes an on online directory of local alcohol services that those worried about their alcohol use can approach for assistance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to provide sanitary products to women sleeping rough.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

One person without a home is one too many, and nobody should ever have to sleep rough. That is why we have increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million, including a new £10 million fund to support innovative ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, and a new £10 million Social Impact Bond to support rough sleepers with the most complex needs.

We recognise that the needs of female rough sleepers can be different from male rough sleepers, and we expect local authorities to commission services to meet the needs of all those in their local areas. Many commission female-only homelessness projects, which offer women the essential facilities and support they need.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-01-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in tackling problem gambling.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

This Government wants to ensure that people are protected from being harmed or exploited by gambling. We welcome the ongoing work of the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB), the Gambling Commission and the Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT) to identify the causes of problem gambling and to implement effective deterrents and treatments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-01-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice exempts sports betting around televised sporting events from the 9pm television watershed.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

Televised gambling advertising in the UK is governed by the Advertising Codes which are maintained by the Broadcast Committee for Advertising Practice. This is supplemented by a self-regulatory industry code, the Industry Code for Socially Responsible Gambling. An enhanced version of the industry code will come into effect in February 2016. New measures include a commitment that gambling operators will no longer advertise sign-up offers on television before 9pm.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-01-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to introduce regulation for the social gaming industry.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

Social gaming is already covered by existing consumer protection legislation and other regulatory bodies. The Gambling Commission published the attached report on social gaming in January 2015. The Commission concluded that there was no compelling reason to impose additional regulation on the social gaming sector given that it is already subject to extensive consumer protection legislation.

The Government will continue to keep this issue under review to ensure that appropriate protections remain in place.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-01-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish an updated policy on fixed odds betting terminals.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

On 21 January the Government published its evaluation of the £50 regulations introduced in April 2015, which is attached.

The evaluation indicates that a large proportion of players of FOBTs may now be making a more conscious choice to control their playing behaviour and their stake level. We will now consider the findings of the evaluation before deciding if there is a need for further action.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-01-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the European Court of Human Rights ruling on 12 January in Barbulescu v Romania on an employer’s right to access an employee’s private emails in the UK.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Government has made no assessment of the judgment The case raises the important question of whether the Applicant had a reasonable expectation that his communications would not be monitored; and could reasonably expect privacy when communicating from the Yahoo Messenger account that he had registered at his employer’s request, and where there was a strict company policy prohibiting use of work systems for personal purposes. The Applicant alleged interference with his article 8 rights and that the interference was not foreseeable or proportionate. But the Court held that there was nothing to indicate that the domestic authorities failed to strike a fair balance between the applicant’s right to respect for his private life under Article 8 and his employer’s interests, and that there had been no violation of Article 8 of the Convention.

The attached ICO’s employment practices code sets out guidance in relation to workplace monitoring. The code is already clear that employers should have policies in place explaining how they expect their IT systems to be used, including setting out the extent to which, if any, the IT system can be used for personal use. Even where no such policy is in place, it is reasonable in certain circumstances for employers to monitor an employee’s use of the IT systems to ensure compliance with any policy or to ensure that employees are not abusing the use of the system. Such monitoring may include accessing non-work communications but this should only be done in exceptional circumstances.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-03-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the UK Chief Medical Officers’ alcohol guidelines review, what steps they are taking to educate young people about the dangers of drinking.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Public Health England’s Rise Above social marketing programme aims to reduce the uptake of risky behaviours, including alcohol consumption, by young people aged 11-16. It teaches them the skills required to make better decisions in ‘risky’ situations to delay and prevent them from engaging in exploratory behaviours.

Talk to FRANK is a web-based information service that explains the effects and risks of excessive alcohol consumption. It also provides a help service via phone, text, live chat and email for people who are concerned about their own or others’ alcohol consumption. Talk to FRANK is an independent Government funded programme.

The Government also commissions the Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Information Service to enable schools to understand and implement evidence-based approaches to preventing harmful alcohol use by children and young people.

In the new science curriculum, there are opportunities for young people to be taught about the dangers of drinking: for example, at key stage 2, pupils should be taught to “recognise the impact of diet, exercise, drugs and lifestyle on the way their bodies function”, or in biology at key stage 3, where pupils will learn about “the effects of recreational drugs (including substance misuse) on behaviour, health and life processes”.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-03-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to educate women on alcohol avoidance whilst pregnant.

Lord Prior of Brampton

On 8 January 2016, the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers published a new guideline on pregnancy and drinking – that if a woman is pregnant or planning a pregnancy, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all, to keep risks to the baby to a minimum. A copy of the guideline is attached. The Department will be working with the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology to ensure that their members are fully informed about the content of the guidelines and are able to explain them to the women they care for and help them make informed decisions. Public Health England (PHE) is also working with professional organisations to enhance the awareness and confidence of midwives and health visitors to educate and inform women about avoiding alcohol while pregnant.

PHE’s Start4Life social marketing programme delivers advice and practical guidance to parents and parents to be to help them adopt healthy behaviours and build parenting skills to give their child the best possible start. This includes looking after their own health, and addresses the implications of drinking during pregnancy. Start4Life uses a range of products to inform and influence its audience’s behaviour around alcohol consumption including the Information Service for Parents, Start4Life website, and leaflets and posters.

Through voluntary actions by alcohol producers, independent research showed that in 2014 90.7% of bottles and cans carried warning labels about drinking in pregnancy, compared to just 17.6% of products six years before.