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1,850 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFolic Acid FortificationIn the brief which I received yesterday the recommendation is for a daily supplement of 400 micrograms of folic acid during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. I am told that this…06 Apr 2022HANSARDFolic Acid FortificationI pay tribute to the noble Lord for his tireless advocacy of this important policy. Substantial progress has been made since September 2021, including working with the devolved…06 Apr 2022HANSARDFolic Acid FortificationThe noble Lord is absolutely right: our scientific knowledge increases as scientists challenge each other and come to other conclusions. We have to be aware that there is no…06 Apr 2022HANSARDFolic Acid FortificationI understand the frustration that noble Lords have expressed. The same frustration is shared by officials in the department. When I asked officials, “What are the issues that you…06 Apr 2022HANSARDFolic Acid FortificationThis will all be part of the consultation, but once the policy has been decided on and fortification starts, clearly, we will be communicating to parents, families and others. If…06 Apr 2022HANSARDFolic Acid FortificationI think the noble Baroness is being a little unfair. It is quite clear that some of the delay has been due to elections, particularly when it has been necessary to consult across…06 Apr 2022HANSARDFolic Acid FortificationWe all want to save harm to 400 babies a year; indeed, we want to save harm to more babies. The issue is that we have to do it in a proper way. When I speak to the officials, they…06 Apr 2022HANSARDFolic Acid FortificationI think the noble Lord will be aware that pregnant women are advised to take 400 micrograms of folic acid. That high level cannot be put into other foods because there are some…06 Apr 2022HANSARDFolic Acid FortificationI understand the complete frustration with the delays. When I asked the departmental officials about them, they said, “Funnily enough, usually we are people who support democracy,…06 Apr 2022HANSARDFolic Acid FortificationIt is not fair to have a go at officials over this. Once the Northern Ireland Assembly election period is out of the way, they can get on with it.06 Apr 2022HANSARDHealth and Care BillThat this House do not insist on its Amendment 80 and do agree with the Commons in their Amendments 80A to 80N in lieu.05 Apr 2022HANSARDHealth and Care BillI thank all noble Lords who have taken part in this debate and the debates throughout the day. We managed to stick to the point and tried to be as brief as possible. I am afraid I…05 Apr 2022HANSARDNHS: Abuse of NursesAs well as various programmes such as the NHS violence prevention and reduction standard, against which trusts are measured and held accountable, there are a number of different…05 Apr 2022HANSARDNHS: Abuse of NursesThe noble Lord is absolutely right: it is not a simple issue, and people abuse for lots of different reasons. We are looking at different ways to deal with this, including…05 Apr 2022HANSARDNHS: Abuse of NursesI thank my noble friend for his question. When the NHS started investigating and digging deeper into this issue, the assumption was that it was often just members of the public.…05 Apr 2022HANSARDNHS: Abuse of NursesAbuse directed towards nurses is unacceptable, and we are determined to tackle this. NHS England has established a violence reduction programme to address deliberate violence and…05 Apr 2022HANSARDNHS: Abuse of NursesThe noble Lord is absolutely right that we have identified the issue, and the NHS is working on a number of plans. All of us abhor any abuse of nurses or indeed any other NHS…05 Apr 2022HANSARDNHS: Abuse of NursesThe NHS is looking at a number of different ways of tackling violence towards staff, as well as supporting them in how to handle difficult situations and giving them well-being…05 Apr 2022HANSARDNHS: Abuse of NursesWe are looking at the way in which abusers are treated. On 13 November 2018, the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 came into force, and since 2020 we have also…05 Apr 2022HANSARDNHS: Abuse of NursesI hope the noble Baroness will appreciate that I have laid out some of the initiatives that are taking place, and which are not only trying to prevent abuses against members of…05 Apr 2022