Andrew Lansley

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Andrew Lansley is a Conservative politician who was made Secretary of State for Health in May 2010.[1]

On diet legislation and trans fats

According to a July 2010 report in the Daily Mail, Lansley rejected the advice of official health watchdog NICE on the issue of dangerous trans fats in food and sided with the food industry – which argues a ban is unnecessary. It is estimated that trans fats are responsible for as many as 7,000 premature deaths a year.[2]

In a separate announcement, Lansley told the British Medical Association the Government was likely to opt out of legislating on health and diet.[3]

Lansley also took the opportunity to criticize chef Jamie Oliver's campaign to make school meals healthier. Lansley said it was wrong to lecture people on what they should eat and argued the efforts of Jamie Oliver to tackle child obesity and ill-health had failed.[4]

Oliver replied to Lansley by saying:

To say school dinners hasn't worked is not just inaccurate, but is also an insult to the hard work of hundreds of thousands of dinner ladies, teachers, headteachers and parent helpers who strive to feed schoolkids a nutritious, hot meal for 190 days of the year.[5]

Oliver added that any problems were due to there being too little funding available to train school catering staff properly.

Funding for healthier ingredients has also been an issue. When Oliver began his school meals campaign in 2005, the amount typically spent on ingredients for a school meal was between 35p and 45p per day per child. This compared with an average of 60p per lunch spent on inmates by the prison service.[6]

Relationships with the private health sector

Lansley has accepted donations from:

  • The wife of John Nash, chairman of Care UK a private health and social care company.
  • Julian Schild, who owned a medical equipment company, Huntleigh Technology, the largest manufacturer of NHS beds.[7]

The 2010 Conservative Party conference offered private healthcare companies ample opportunity to lobby the Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, and his team of Ministers and special advisers. For example, Lansley spoke at a number of fringe events, hosted by among others private hospital company, Circle, pharma giant Novartis, and the think tanks ResPublica and 2020health.

Lansley has strong links with the centre-right think tank 2020health. According to its website, Lansley said of 2020health: “I have been very impressed with some of the discussions and documents that have emerged from 2020health. They are looking at serious issues (for example vaccination, dentistry, screening) and providing valuable impact on future policy.”,[8] He also chose 2020health’s annual lecture in January to launch the Conservative Party’s green paper on public health[9] Julia Manning, Chief Executive of 2020health and a former Conservative Party candidate, in January 2010 also hosted a "Cameron Direct" town hall meeting for the Prime Minister.[10]

It was reported in January 2010 the Tories have opened up talks with "a series of private firms after pledging to step up the role of the independent sector in the NHS."[11]

Lansley was a paid director of marketing company Profero to the end of 2009.[12] Profero's clients have included Pepsi, Mars, Pizza Hut and Diageo's Guinness.[13]

Special Advisers

Special advisers of the SoS for Health in 2010:

Affiliations

External Resources

Notes

  1. Her Majesty’s Government, Number10.gov.uk, accessed 12 May 2010.
  2. Sean Poulter, They kill 7,000 people a year, but trans fats won't be banned, Daily Mail, 1 July 2010
  3. Sean Poulter, They kill 7,000 people a year, but trans fats won't be banned, Daily Mail, 1 July 2010, acc 5 July 2010
  4. Sean Poulter, They kill 7,000 people a year, but trans fats won't be banned, Daily Mail, 1 July 2010, acc 5 July 2010
  5. Denis Campbell, Jamie Oliver hits back at health secretary over school meals 'insult', Guardian, 30 Jun 2010, acc 5 July 2010
  6. School Dinners - The future’s looking brighter, Optimum Nutrition Magazine, Summer 2005, acc 4 Jul 2010
  7. They Work for You, Andrew Lansley, Register of Members' Interests, accessed Nov 2010
  8. 2020health.org,About Us: Endorsements, accessed 5 October 2010.
  9. 2020health.org,Annual Health Lecture, accessed 5 October 2010.
  10. Jonathan Oliver,Tory adviser Julia Manning wants end to minor treatments on NHS, Sunday Times, 10 January 2010, accessed 14 September 2010.
  11. Ian Quinn, Gareth Iacobucci, Tories open up talks with private firms, Pulse, 13 Jan 10
  12. Bob Willot, Daryl Arnold has left Profero’s group board…very quietly, Brand Republic, 6 June 2010
  13. Felicity Lawrence, Who is the government's health deal with big business really good for?, Guardian, 12 Nov 2010