Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have undertaken an impact assessment of adding fluoride to the water supply which takes account of (1) the financial cost, and (2) the possible health risks.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

An impact assessment was completed as part of the proposals to expand the existing water fluoridation scheme in the North East of England, to a further 1.6 million people. This sets out a net present social value of the proposal of £201 million over 40 years, and accounts for estimated benefits through dental health care cost savings, productivity gains, and quality of life benefits to individuals. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has a duty to monitor the effects of water fluoridation schemes on health, and to publish reports at intervals no greater than four years. The findings of monitoring reports published in 2014, 2018, and 2022 are consistent that water fluoridation, at levels recommended in the United Kingdom, is a safe and effective public health measure to reduce dental caries.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to water companies of adding fluoride to the water supply.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is responsible for reimbursing water undertakers for the reasonable costs associated with water fluoridation schemes. In the financial year 2023/24, these costs were £4,109,521 in revenue and £348,351 in capital for the estimated six million people in England covered by such schemes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks of water fluoridation in causing cancer.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has a duty to monitor the effects of water fluoridation schemes on health, and to publish reports at intervals no greater than four years. Health monitoring reports published in 2014, 2018, and 2022, taken alongside the existing wider research, show that there is no convincing evidence for adverse outcomes, including for bladder cancer or osteosarcoma, due to fluoridation schemes. These findings are consistent that water fluoridation, at levels recommended in the United Kingdom, is a safe and effective public health measure to reduce dental cavities. The next health monitoring report will be published in 2026.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether inshore fishers are able to use their full fishing quota without being subject to a cap based on size of vessel or other factors; how this situation has changed since the UK left the European Union; and when the quota was last revised.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The 350kg licence cap on some English 10 metre and under vessels was removed in December 2024 enabling them to fully utilise their fishing opportunities. The capping of UK fishing licences is a domestic decision and has not been affected by the UK leaving the EU. The measures used to manage the UK fleet, including quota allocation, are reviewed regularly with the most recent change being the decision to remove the cap in December 2024.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal by Ofgem to reduce the standing charges on energy bills.

Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government recognises that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges.

In February, Ofgem launched a consultation which sought views on introducing a zero standing charge energy price cap variant, providing households with more choice over how they pay for their energy. The consultation closed on 20 March.

The Government is committed to lowering standing charges and will continue working constructively with Ofgem on this issue.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of (1) theft from farms and (2) flytipping in each of the last three years, and what steps they are taking to reduce these.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Data on overall levels of farming theft has been collected by stakeholders. In 2023, National Farmers Union Mutual estimated the cost of specific crimes that victimise famers:

• GPS theft: £4.2 million
• Quad bike/All-Terrain vehicle theft: £3.2 million
• Agricultural vehicle theft: £10.7 million

We recognise the importance of tackling rural crime and are committed to safeguarding rural communities. The Home Office and Defra are working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to deliver the updated Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy.

The Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 requires secondary legislation before it can come into effect. We are currently considering the views of those who may be affected by the legislation and its regulations, to understand the potential implications and determine the scope of the legislation. We will publish the Government’s response to the Call for Evidence on the scope of the legislation soon and intend to have the necessary regulations in place later this year.

Local authorities are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions to Defra, which we publish annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. This excludes the majority of private-land incidents.

Local authorities have enforcement powers to help them tackle fly-tipping, including fixed penalty notices and prosecution action which can lead to a significant fine or imprisonment. We intend to seek powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to enable the Secretary of State to issue statutory enforcement guidance to support local authorities to appropriately and consistently exercise their enforcement powers.

We have committed in our manifesto to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up their mess. We will provide an update on this in due course.

We will continue to work with stakeholders through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, such as the National Farmers Union, local authorities and police, to promote and disseminate good practice on tackling fly-tipping.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many fixed penalty notices have been issued for illegal use of e-scooters in each of the past three years.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices and other outcomes for motoring offences in England and Wales on an annual basis, as part of the ‘Police powers and procedures: Roads policing’ statistical bulletin.

However, the Home Office does not centrally collect data on the type of vehicle involved in each offence.