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Newspapers and Periodicals: Price Cutting
Lord Peston asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they are aware of any examples of price cutting of the cover price of newspapers and periodicals at the retail level; and, if so, whether they will identify the examples.[HL161]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): Her Majesty's Government do not keep pricing information on individual publications. However, we are aware of occasional discount on cover prices as part of short-term promotions.
Working Time Regulations: Right to Opt Out
Lord Taylor of Warwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps they will take to ensure that British workers will not lose the right to opt out of the 48-hour working week clause negotiated by the United Kingdom in 1993.[HL670]
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The opt out is important to the UK as it maintains flexible labour markets and gives choice to individuals to work longer hours if they so wish. I and my colleagues are working in Europe to stress the importance of the opt out to both employers and employees and to ensure that key decision-makers understand the benefits of an approach which provides protection to workers who do not wish to work long hours without restricting those who wish to make a different choice.
Alcohol Misuse: Impact on Emergency Services
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they accept the findings of the report No Half Measures by the Alcohol Harm Reduction Group on the impact of alcohol misuse on the police, ambulance services, accident and emergency departments and fire services; and how the extension of opening hours under the Licensing Act 2003 will contribute towards a reduction of these problems.[HL146]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit recently published an interim analytical report detailing the evidence they have examined on the harms which can be associated with alcohol misuse, including the impact on a range of public services. This will be the evidence base for the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England. We welcome all contributions, such as the Alcohol Harm Reduction Group's No Half Measures report, towards identifying and tackling the problems associated with alcohol misuse.
The potential impact on public services of the abolition of permitted hours as allowed under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003 was examined before the Act was passed and the impact of these provisions will be monitored after they come into force in 2005.
vCJD and HIV/AIDS
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What has been the total number of deaths from (a) vCJD and (b) HIV/AIDS recorded in the United Kingdom.[HL684]
Lord Warner: As at 5 January 2004, 139 people had died of definite or probable variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United Kingdom.
As at 30 September 2003, there have been 15,439 deaths recorded in the UK with or without AIDS in HIV-infected individuals since the start of the epidemic.
Obesity
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition intends to take to review the nutritional science relating to obesity.[HL695]
Lord Warner: The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) discussed its forward work plan in September 2003. Various topics, including obesity, were discussed. A general summary of the committee's discussions and a formal work plan will be placed on the SACN website following the next committee meeting in February 2004.
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the Health Development Agency have taken into account the full range of weight management and reduction options in their respective recent reviews of literature and other evidence in this area; and what dialogue these bodies have recently had with the Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust.[HL697]
Lord Warner: The Health Development Agency (HDA) has indeed taken into account the full range of weight management and reduction options in its recent review of the literature in this area. Both the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the HDA follow an open and transparent methodology where high quality evidence is extensively gathered in order to assess the effectiveness of interventions.
A transparent and open approach will be taken during the development of the joint NICE/HDA guideline on obesity, referred to them by the Department of Health and the Welsh Assembly. It would therefore be inappropriate for either agency to have dialogue with any individual organisation. NICE/HDA expects to be consulting on the scope (exactly what the guideline will and will not cover) for this guideline from 27 January–24 February 2004. All interested parties are encouraged to register as stakeholders on the NICE website by 23 January 2004 in order that they may fully contribute towards the development of the guideline. The Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust has registered as such a stakeholder and will therefore have an opportunity to engage with this process at that stage.
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