News story

26th January 2005

Local MP Opposes Vitamin Ban

Northavon MP Steve Webb has this week voted in Parliament against new regulations which would restrict the ability of local people to buy certain herbal medicines and vitamin supplements.

The MP said he had been contacted by dozens of local people who were concerned about planned Europe-wide regulations that would ban tablets containing high doses of vitamins and also certain herbal remedies which had not passed new safety tests. Steve Webb said that he had also received a petition signed by hundreds of customers at a Yate health food centre who were concerned about the regulations and had passed this on to the Department of Health.

In Tuesday's vote, Steve Webb joined MPs from other parties in calling on the Government to repeal the planned regulations during the UK presidency of the European Union. The motion was however defeated by 283 votes to 189, a Government majority of 94.

Speaking after the vote, Steve Webb said:

"This is an issue which will affect large numbers of my constituents. I believe that people should be able to choose whether or not to take herbal remedies or additional vitamins, especially where they have already been taking them for many years and often report beneficial effects. I have been in correspondence with Ministers over this issue for well over a year, but the Government has failed to give British consumers the right to choose."