The Lead Ammunition Group is an independent strategic group whose members participate on a voluntary basis. Defra understands that the group will not deliver its report by 30 April 2013. Defra officials will meet with the chair of the group in May 2013 to discuss the progress that the group has made. Following this meeting, I will write to my noble friend to inform him of this progress and the timescale that the group is working towards.

NHS Blood and Transplant, which provides blood for transfusion to hospitals in England and North Wales, does not check levels of lead in either potential blood donors or donated blood.

Significant lead poisoning usually results in anaemia, as lead affects a person's ability to form haemoglobin (iron). All potential blood donors have their iron levels tested prior to donation and must have a minimum iron

level before they can donate. Donors who have been exposed to high levels of lead will therefore not be able to donate because their low iron levels would prevent them from meeting the donation criteria.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) have advised that it would be premature to undertake an assessment of the published findings at this stage as the data presented are preliminary and have not yet been peer reviewed and accordingly definitive conclusions should not be drawn at this stage.

On the basis of available data held by the HPA's incident management systems the following incidents of chronic lead exposure have been responded to:

1 July 2010 to 31 December 2010: four

1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011: five

1 January 2012 to 30 June 2012: six

The HPA is considering holding a workshop on lead. The HPA last held operational lead training days in June and October 2010 in London, Leeds, Nottingham and Newcastle. Training on lead and chemical incident response for HPA staff and relevant partners is regularly undertaken as a component of continuing professional development updates which are dependent on local needs and priorities.

Online resources for paediatricians, environmental health and health protection professionals, as well as the public, have been developed to generate awareness and provide guidance about the clinical presentation and management of lead exposure. These are available at:

www.hpa.org.uk/ProductsServices/ChemicalsPoisons/ChemicalRiskAssessment/ChemicalIncidentManagement/LeadIncidents/

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) have advised that it would be premature to undertake an assessment of the published findings at this stage as the data presented are preliminary and have not yet been peer reviewed and accordingly definitive conclusions should not be drawn at this stage.

On the basis of available data held by the HPA's incident management systems the following incidents of chronic lead exposure have been responded to:

1 July 2010 to 31 December 2010: four

1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011: five

1 January 2012 to 30 June 2012: six

The HPA is considering holding a workshop on lead. The HPA last held operational lead training days in June and October 2010 in London, Leeds, Nottingham and Newcastle. Training on lead and chemical incident response for HPA staff and relevant partners is regularly undertaken as a component of continuing professional development updates which are dependent on local needs and priorities.

Online resources for paediatricians, environmental health and health protection professionals, as well as the public, have been developed to generate awareness and provide guidance about the clinical presentation and management of lead exposure. These are available at:

www.hpa.org.uk/ProductsServices/ChemicalsPoisons/ChemicalRiskAssessment/ChemicalIncidentManagement/LeadIncidents/

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) have advised that it would be premature to undertake an assessment of the published findings at this stage as the data presented are preliminary and have not yet been peer reviewed and accordingly definitive conclusions should not be drawn at this stage.

On the basis of available data held by the HPA's incident management systems the following incidents of chronic lead exposure have been responded to:

1 July 2010 to 31 December 2010: four

1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011: five

1 January 2012 to 30 June 2012: six

The HPA is considering holding a workshop on lead. The HPA last held operational lead training days in June and October 2010 in London, Leeds, Nottingham and Newcastle. Training on lead and chemical incident response for HPA staff and relevant partners is regularly undertaken as a component of continuing professional development updates which are dependent on local needs and priorities.

Online resources for paediatricians, environmental health and health protection professionals, as well as the public, have been developed to generate awareness and provide guidance about the clinical presentation and management of lead exposure. These are available at:

www.hpa.org.uk/ProductsServices/ChemicalsPoisons/ChemicalRiskAssessment/ChemicalIncidentManagement/LeadIncidents/

We have no plans to meet the Health Protection Agency (HPA) to discuss the effects on human health of exposure to lead.

The HPA has issued information on the health effects of lead and on dealing with lead incidents. This can be found at:

www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&Page&HPAweb AutoListDate/Page/1274087220619

The Department has no plans to commission work on this topic. The current public health significance of exposure to lead from exhaust emissions is considered to be small following the phasing out of lead from petrol. Levels of lead from exhaust emissions have declined by around 98% since 1990. The largest source of lead until 1999 was from anti-knock lead additives in petrol, which was phased out from general sale at the end of 1999.

The Department has not issued guidance on the human health effects of lead. The Health Protection Agency has issued guidance in the form of a Lead Action Card which is available at:

www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1274092896741

Further information on lead incidents is also available at:

www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&Page&HPAwebAutoListDate/Page/1274087220619

The Department has not commissioned research on the effects on human health of exposure to lead in the United Kingdom.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is undertaking a three-year surveillance of blood lead levels in children in collaboration with the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit; this study is funded through grant in aid. Further information about the study is available on the HPA website at:

www.hpa.org.uk/chemicals/slic

[holding answer 18 January 2013]: The Home Office has not commissioned any research on the potential effects of human exposure to lead on crime levels.

The Home Office has not conducted an assessment of the impact of environmental lead levels on criminal behaviour. However, as with a wide range of other factors that may influence crime, we do keep the emerging evidence on this topic under review.

In response to concerns, both in the UK and internationally, over the level of toxic effects of lead from ammunition, Defra and the Food Standards Agency convened an independent group—the Lead Ammunition Group—to look at the issues. The group is considering the evidence to assess what risks may exist to human health and wildlife from lead ammunition.

The group provided a written progress report to Defra and the Food Standards Agency on 28 June 2011. This report and other relevant documents are published on the Lead Ammunition Group's website.

The group has agreed to provide a report to Ministers in April 2013 and Defra will review the progress of the group at this stage.

I am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that the European Food Safety Authority reported in its exposure assessment of 11 July 2012 that the mean level of lead in the overall chocolate category is 55 pg/kg (micrograms per kilogram). The mean level of lead in pheasant in the same report is given as 344 pg/kg (micrograms per kilogram), although it is not known if it was all shot with lead. These levels were compiled from data from across all European Union member states.

Within the United Kingdom, data from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate statutory surveillance indicate a mean level of lead in pheasant of 1870 pg/kg (micrograms per kilogram) over a seven year period, 2004-11. This was the figure used in the FSA published risk assessment.

Therefore, the FSA's assessment is that the level of lead in pheasant shot with lead is higher than the level of lead in chocolate, both within the EU and the UK.

In response to concerns, both in the UK and internationally, over the level of toxic effects of lead from ammunition, Defra and the Food Standards Agency convened an independent group—the Lead Ammunition Group (LAG)—to look at the issues.

The LAG is considering the evidence to assess what risks may exist to human health and wildlife from lead ammunition and will report later this year to Defra and the Food Standards Agency. Any regulatory changes considered necessary would be subject to public consultation and need to be proportionate to the risks identified.

Defra currently has no plans to extend the existing restrictions under the Environmental Protection (Restriction on Use of Lead Shot) (England) Regulations 1999 to include a ban on the use of lead shot.

In response to concerns, both in the UK and internationally, over the level of toxic effects of lead from ammunition, Defra and the Food Standards Agency convened an independent group—the Lead Ammunition Group (LAG)—to look at the issues. This will include consideration of the report, Poisoning from Lead Gunshot: Still a Threat to Wild Waterbirds in Britain, published in the European Journal of Wildlife Research. The LAG will report later this year to Defra and the Food Standards Agency.