Speeches by Coleman.

“When you say that the assessment has been robust, that suggests that it is using the best available data and a whole range of other factors. However, the recentness of the analysis is important. If things are changing all the time, how robust is the data?”

“It would be good to get the views of Dr Pegg and Dr Coelho as well.”

“When you say “potentially”, that suggests that you see upsides and downsides. What are the downsides?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I have been passionate about strengthening ties between the UK and Germany for most of my adult life, ever since I spent two years living in West Berlin in the mid-1980s—vor der Wende—before the wall came down. I lived in Kreuzberg, a neighbourhood that at that …”

“That is very helpful. Given the speed at which these drugs are being adopted and given that we are learning all the time about what they are doing, what impact they are having and what impact they are not having over the long term, is there a case for NICE to assess and reassess the drugs and the advice it gives to Gov…”

“When you say “potentially”—?”

“Not for the first time, my hon. Friend puts it much better than I could. Cyber-security is an absolutely key pillar of the Trinity House agreement, and AI, quantum and semiconductor investment should be things that Germany and Britain work on together, side by side, to defend our joint security and also contribute to t…”

“Would you say that it should be looking at reassessing the work that it has already done, because there is now more data out there?”

“Thank you all very much for coming. I would like to understand weight regain a little better. If people cannot actually keep the weight off, it is just a licence to print money for pharmaceutical companies. Professor Jebb, the Committee had some evidence from NICE in August that suggested that weight regain occurs afte…”

“I just worry that people are going to be encouraged to spend lots of money on going to the gym but still eat crap food.”

“So it is food, not exercise, that matters.”

“For adults?”

“I have two doctors in front of me, which is one of the joys of being on the Committee. I want to ask a question that bugs me a lot. Everyone goes on about eating less—that the cure is to eat less and more healthily, if you can afford it, and to do exercise. If you had to balance the relative importance for fighting obe…”

“And would that involve things around advertising?”

“How confident are you that the Government are focusing enough on the third pillar of prevention?”

“The Government obviously have prevention as one of their three big shifts—that is a statement and it is in the 10-year plan. How far do you think the measures that the Government have come out with support prevention, as opposed to focusing on medical solutions?”

“From what I am hearing from many people this morning—the Chair pressed helpfully on the underlying biology—it is still a lot better to ensure that people are not subject to adverts pumping rubbish food at them all day long and are not eating unhealthy things that make them ill and cause obesity, so there is still a lot…”

“We are waiting for the workforce plan. Obviously, the 10-year plan talks about “a moonshot to end the obesity epidemic”, and there will be workforce implications in that. Is it your understanding, from talking to the Government, that they will take weight management issues and the workforce needs around that into accou…”

“Yes. Dr McCullough, do you have anything to add to that?”

“Yes, or even if they are on the drugs, and then they come off them and keep the weight down, would that not save time for you in the long term rather than having to deal with people who are living with obesity—or is it too soon to measure that?”