Information about waivers used in the past five years under the Great Britain (GB) Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulations is in the table provided below:

Prior to 2021, and so during the time when the United Kingdom was a member of the European Union, waivers were issued by the European Commission.

The current waiver provision in the GB PIC Regulations applies hazard criteria to the use of the waiver for those chemicals that are listed under the Rotterdam Convention (i.e., those chemicals listed in Part 3 of the GB PIC list). This goes beyond what the Convention requires and potentially creates a barrier to the export of a chemical that falls within these criteria when the importing country fails to respond to repeated requests for consent to import.

In order to facilitate regulatory decision-making, harmonise conditions, and create greater clarity for businesses, the draft Chemicals (Health and Safety) (Amendment, Consequential and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026 includes an amendment to Article 14(7) in the GB PIC Regulations. This will ensure the same waiver conditions apply to all chemicals that require explicit/prior informed consent to import.

There is no statutory requirement to publish information on waivers used under the Great Britain (GB) Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulations. However, each year, companies have to report the name of the chemical in the GB PIC list that they have exported or imported during the previous calendar year, the quantity of the chemical, and the name of the importing or exporting country. The Health and Safety Executive, as the Designated National Authority, publishes that information on its website: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pic/annual-reporting.htm.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84440.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84436.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for North Devon on 28 November 2025 to Question 92661.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84444.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84144.

The Government has not commissioned any research on the reproductive health outcomes or long-term health effects of the occupational exposure of nursing staff to hazardous medicinal products. No assessment has been made of the cost to the National Health Service of sickness absence related to this.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including the health of the NHS workforce. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Responsible bodies are responsible for managing premises, including for health and safety. They should ensure risk assessments are conducted and measures taken to minimise known critical risks, following Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance.

Guidance on promoting good hygiene when taking part in physical activity is available to schools at: https://resources.thegma.org.uk/sportshygiene.

The department’s technical guidance, due to be updated early 2026, outlines alternative pitch materials. While primarily intended for new build schools, this advice is available for wider use and outlines the merits of each material.

The department continues to work with other government departments, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Culture Media and Sport, the UK Health Security Agency and HSE, to ensure any advice and guidance in this area aligns with best practice and the latest scientific evidence.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84144.

All medicines, including higher-risk ones, are potentially hazardous and should be handled with care during preparation to avoid unnecessary exposure. National Health Service providers are required to follow health and safety legislation and COSHH regulations at all stages.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s guidance, Professional guidance in the safe and secure handling of medicine, includes specific recommendations for the safe preparation of higher-risk medicines. NHS providers are expected to adhere to these standards as part of their statutory and professional obligations under the NHS Standard Contract.

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) Medicines Optimisation Quality Statement, along with statements on Safe Environments and Safe and Effective Staffing, also set out requirements for appropriate training, equipment, and policies to ensure staff safety during preparation.

The same principles of safety and regulatory compliance apply during the administration of higher-risk medicines. Staff must follow established protocols to minimise risk and ensure safe handling.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring the safety of medicines and medical devices. When a safety issue is identified, the MHRA communicates with healthcare professionals and stakeholders through channels such as the GOV.UK website, direct emails, and safety alerts, using different methods depending on urgency and impact.

The MHRA’s three-year Strategy for Improving Communications aims to deliver more coordinated, targeted, and effective safety communications to healthcare professionals and patients, supporting safe administration practices.

The CQC’s quality statements also require providers to have appropriate policies and procedures in place to support both patient and staff safety during the administration of medicines.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring the safety of medicines and medical devices, and it continually reviews product safety.

When a safety issue is identified, the MHRA communicates with healthcare professionals and stakeholders through various channels, such as the GOV.UK website, direct emails, and safety alerts, and may use different methods depending on the urgency and impact of the issue.

The MHRA’s three-year Strategy for Improving Communications aims to deliver more coordinated, targeted, and effective safety communications to healthcare professionals and patients using the best available channels.

NHS England has stipulated that all large providers of National Health Services must designate a Medication Safety Officer. They are mandated to implement medication safety within their organisations and are updated regularly on current issues and learning.

NHS England is also reducing risk to staff by increasing the availability of ready to administer products through its Transforming Aseptic Services Programme, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-nhs-pharmacy-aseptic-services-in-england/transforming-nhs-pharmacy-aseptic-services-in-england

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) Medicines Optimisation Quality Statement, a copy of which is attached, is focused on ensuring that patients are able to access their medicines safely. The CQC would therefore expect providers to be following their organisations processes and national guidance, where relevant, to ensure that this happens. Organisations providing care need to ensure that staff have the relevant information available to them to keep patients safe through appropriate medicines use, as well as supporting them to undertake their roles safely.

Water companies must ensure all reasonable measures are in place to prevent the unauthorised or accidental escape of bio-media from wastewater treatment works to the environment.

The Environment Agency (EA) is working alongside the water sector on an ongoing research project, led by UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR), looking at the complex issue of the impact of microplastics generated by wastewater treatment works.

In the event of any escape of bio-media from wastewater treatment works above permitted controls or that may cause significant pollution, Water Companies must immediately report this as a pollution incident to the EA, which will investigate and take necessary enforcement action. The Secretary of State for Defra has written to Water Companies to reiterate how unacceptable the pollution incident at Camber Sands is, and to stress the positive action Water Companies must take to ensure their infrastructure is functioning correctly.

Under waste regulations and mandatory guidance in place, waste bio-media classification depends on the properties of the specific material. Where it is above the relevant thresholds for hazardous properties, then it would be classified as a hazardous waste.

From a medicines perspective, additives in medicines, termed excipients, are required to comply with the standards laid down in pharmacopeial monographs and can only be included in medicinal products at levels that are considered to be safe.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is aware of general concerns in relation to the presence of asbestos in talcum powder. However, pharmaceutical grade talc has strict controls on the presence of asbestos. The British Pharmacopeia monograph for Purified Talc states that “Talc derived from deposits that are known to contain associated asbestos is not suitable for pharmaceutical use”. Furthermore, testing is required to confirm the absence of asbestos.

NHS Supply Chain procurement activities require suppliers to comply with United Kingdom regulatory requirements such as the United Kingdom Accreditation Service or international equivalent accreditation for International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 and ISO 13485, to ensure that products procured under NHS Supply Chain frameworks and used within the National Health Service in England are subject to rigorous safety assessments.