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Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures, other than public information, they are taking to combat harmful drinking; and whether they will advise government departments and other public authorities to set an example by offering no alcohol at lunch-time entertainments. [HL129]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): On 15 March 2004 the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit published The Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England, which contains 41 recommendations. Each recommendation includes a date for action to be completed. The Home Office and the Department of Health, in partnership with other stakeholders, are working together to deliver those recommendations in the strategy.
In addition, the White Paper Choosing Health published on 16 November 2004 highlighted that the Government will build on commitments within the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England through:
guidance and training to ensure all health professionals are able to identify alcohol problems early;
piloting approaches to targeted screening and brief interventions in both primary care and hospital settings, including accident and emergency departments;
similar initiatives in criminal justice settings with the aim of reducing repeat offending;
developing a programme for improvement for alcohol treatment services based on the findings of an audit of demand for and provision of alcohol treatment in England and the models of care framework for alcohol treatment.
There is a 'no-drinking' policy on Department of Health premises unless special permission is sought. It is for other government departments to set their own policies in this area.
Lord Chadlington asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the proposed timetable for the implementation of the National Alcohol Strategy; and [HL398]
What evaluation of the National Alcohol Strategy they propose to carry out; and [HL399]
Which government Ministers and government agencies are accountable for the National Alcohol Strategy. [HL400]
Lord Warner: The Department of Health and the Home Office are the lead government departments for the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England and are therefore accountable for it. There are 41 recommendations within the strategy, each recommendation includes a date when action should be completed. We will take stock in 2007.
Smoking: Public Opinion
Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the findings of the consultation and public surveys on attitudes to smoking, referred to in paragraphs 70, 71, 74, 75 and 76 of the Choosing Health White Paper. [HL117]
Lord Warner: The consultation for the Choosing Health White Paper took into consideration objective empirical evidence from opinion surveys and polls, such as the Office for National Statistics (ONS), alongside opinions expressed to the Department of Health by individuals and interest groups to ensure a truly representative picture of the general feeling.
Information on the findings of the consultation and public surveys referred to in paragraphs 70 and 71 of the Choosing Health White Paper are contained in Appendix A, which sets out an overview of the responses to the consultation and information from the Opinion Leader Research (OLR) survey. Some information from the OLR survey has been published and is available on (www.kinsgfund/pdf/publicattitudesreport.pdf).
Surveys on attitudes to smoking referred to in paragraphs 74, 75, and 76 are published in the ONS Smoking-related Behaviour and Attitudes 2003. A copy is available in the Library.
A fuller analysis of the consultation will be undertaken and will take into account both the objective empirical evidence from opinion surveys and polls alongside opinions expressed to the department by individuals and interest groups. (www.dh.gov.uk).
Food Supplements
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
What penalties exist for those manufacturers and retailers of food supplements found guilty of placing on the market after July 2005 products which contain ingredients which are currently legal but which are omitted from the lists of permitted ingredients established by the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/1387); and [HL130]
Whether the meetings with manufacturers, retailers and consumers of food supplements recently arranged by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health have resulted in any further additions of nutrients and nutrient sources to the lists of permitted ingredients set out in the annexes to the Food Supplements Directive and the appendices to the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/1387); and what action they now intend to take to extend further those lists prior to their coming into force in July 2005; and [HL131]
What was the outcome of the meeting on 15 October with officials of the European Commission initiated by the Food Standards Agency to discuss the Food Supplements Directive; whether that meeting led to the addition of any nutrients or nutrient sources to the annexes of the Food Supplements Directive; and whether any assurances were received from the Commission about how it intends to interpret Article 5 of the directive in relation to the setting of maximum permitted levels for nutrients permitted in food supplements. [HL132]
Lord Warner: The penalty in the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 for manufacturers and retailers found guilty of placing on the market after July 2005 products containing ingredients omitted from the lists in the regulations is a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale. This equates to £5,000. This is the maximum penalty and it will be for a court to decide ultimately on the exact penalty on a case by case basis.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Miss Melanie Johnson) met with manufacturers, retailers and consumers of food supplements in July and September 2004. Following those meetings the Health Food Manufacturers Association and Food Standards Agency officials have met with officials from the European Food Safety Authority and the European Commission to discuss the implications of the Food Supplements Directive. It was made clear at those meetings that before further ingredients may be added to the lists in the Food Supplements Directive they must be assessed for safety through submission of a dossier and have received a positive opinion from the EFSA. The European Commission explained that a member state would be in breach of the directive if it allows ingredients and sources not listed in the directive to remain on the market without a dossier being submitted.
The United Kingdom Government have nevertheless made clear that providing an ingredient was on the market before July 2002 and a dossier has been submitted to a member state that ingredient can remain on sale in the UK pending an opinion by EFSA following its safety evaluation.
The EFSA will publish its recommendations for maximum permitted levels for nutrients allowed in food supplements in early 2005. The European Commission has indicated that it will bring forward its proposals, based on EFSA's advice, after the summer of 2005.
Lord Clement-Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
What benefits will result from the removal from the market, after July 2005, of food supplements which are accepted as safe by United Kingdom regulatory authorities but which do not meet the requirements of the Food Supplements Directive and the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/1387); and [HL295]
How many food supplement products which are accepted as safe by United Kingdom regulatory authorities but which do not meet the requirements of the Food Supplements Directive and the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/1387) will be removed from the market after July 2005; and what assessment they have made of the
- impact which the removal of these products will have on the manufacturers and retailers of such products and consumers. [HL296]
Lord Warner: Vitamins and minerals not permitted for sale after July 2005 are those which do not meet the requirements of the legislation. The purpose of the Food Supplements Directive is to ensure the safety of food supplements for the benefit of consumers and for supplements to be freely traded across the European Union, which will benefit the food supplements industry.
The EU directive came into force in July 2002 and the United Kingdom Government were required by UK and EU law to implement it by the end of July 2003. Food supplement regulations for England were approved by the House of Commons on 3 July 2003. A regulatory impact assessment on the Food Supplements Directive which assessed the impact of the directive on businesses and consumer choice was laid in Parliament.
The number of products which may be removed from the market after July 2005 will depend on the number of dossiers submitted by companies to the Food Standards Agency or to other member states, and those not already covered by the positive lists in the directive and regulations. The UK will give derogation for products to remain on the market where dossiers have either been submitted to the UK or to another member state pending a positive opinion from the European Food Safety Authority.
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