Asked by: Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the legislation to replace the Bread and Flour Regulations will (1) reduce, or (2) ban, sugar added in the making of manufactured bread.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Defra alongside the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Northern Ireland and Wales, Food Standards Scotland, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Scottish and Welsh Governments are currently conducting a review of The Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 and The Bread and Flour (Northern Ireland) Regulations 1998 to ensure the regulations are fit for purpose, supporting industry while protecting consumers. To assist the review, Defra convened a technical working group made up of a wide range of relevant stakeholders to help identify and explore issues around the regulations which cover the compositional requirements of bread and flour. We will consult on potential legislative changes to the Bread and Flour Regulations.
The Sugar Reduction Programme (2016-2020) led by Public Health England challenged businesses across all sectors of the food industry to reduce the amount of sugar in foods that contribute most to children's sugar intakes. This does not include bread but does include cake, biscuits and morning goods (e.g. buns, pastries etc).
Asked by: Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they have taken since 2010 to reduce air pollution caused by traffic journeys to Heathrow airport and in its immediate vicinity, and what was the outcome of those measures.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
While the relevant local authority would be best placed to provide details on any specific measures, over recent decades, air quality has improved significantly. Between 2005 and 2013 emissions of nitrogen oxides have fallen by 38% and particulate matter has reduced by more than 16%. The Government is investing heavily in transport measures to reduce air pollution and since 2011 has committed £2 billion to increase the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, support green transport initiatives and support Local Authorities to take action.
On 17 December, we issued the UK plan for improving air quality. It sets out a comprehensive approach that will reduce health impacts and meet our environmental and legal obligations. It is available on the GOV.UK website.