Found: From Baroness Merron Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health

Found: Sarah Owen MP Chair, Women and Equalities Committee From Baroness Merron Parliamentary Under-Secretary

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Merron on 22 May (HLWS662), what are the reasons why brand advertising is not included in the scope of TV and online advertising restrictions for less healthy food or drink.

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

The Government is committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online, as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.

The decision to exempt brand advertising from these restrictions was made following consultation, and was understood and agreed by Parliament during the passage of the Health and Care Bill.

The position of the Government has been consistent, and on 7 April we re-confirmed our view that brand advertising is not in scope of this policy, as the legislation only restricts adverts that could reasonably be considered to be for identifiable less healthy products.

Industry raised significant concerns in response to the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) draft implementation guidance published for consultation in February. We are aware that many brands have prepared advertising campaigns in good faith ahead of the restrictions’ current coming into force date of 1 October 2025, and remain concerned about how these adverts will be affected by the ASA’s implementation guidance.

There were several meetings between ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. These discussions culminated in setting out a resolution in our statement of 22 May. We announced that the Government will explicitly exempt ‘brand advertising’ from the advertising restrictions. This is to avoid pigeon-holing brands as less healthy, and instead encouraging brands to reformulate their products and offer healthier options.

Providing this legal clarification on the policy’s intention will provide certainty to industry and will support businesses to invest in advertising with confidence, while ensuring that we deliver on our commitment and protect children from further exposure to junk food advertising and the lifelong harms of obesity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the reasons why "legal clarification" on brand advertising was deemed necessary in the Written Statement by Baroness Merron on 22 May (HLWS662) and not in the Written Statement by Baroness Merron on 22 April (HLWS587).

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

The Government is committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online, as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.

The decision to exempt brand advertising from these restrictions was made following consultation, and was understood and agreed by Parliament during the passage of the Health and Care Bill.

The position of the Government has been consistent, and on 7 April we re-confirmed our view that brand advertising is not in scope of this policy, as the legislation only restricts adverts that could reasonably be considered to be for identifiable less healthy products.

Industry raised significant concerns in response to the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) draft implementation guidance published for consultation in February. We are aware that many brands have prepared advertising campaigns in good faith ahead of the restrictions’ current coming into force date of 1 October 2025, and remain concerned about how these adverts will be affected by the ASA’s implementation guidance.

There were several meetings between ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. These discussions culminated in setting out a resolution in our statement of 22 May. We announced that the Government will explicitly exempt ‘brand advertising’ from the advertising restrictions. This is to avoid pigeon-holing brands as less healthy, and instead encouraging brands to reformulate their products and offer healthier options.

Providing this legal clarification on the policy’s intention will provide certainty to industry and will support businesses to invest in advertising with confidence, while ensuring that we deliver on our commitment and protect children from further exposure to junk food advertising and the lifelong harms of obesity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Merron on 22 May (HLWS662), what discussions were held between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regarding the decision to delay the legislation to regulate unhealthy food and drink advertisement on TV.

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

The Government is committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online, as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.

The decision to exempt brand advertising from these restrictions was made following consultation, and was understood and agreed by Parliament during the passage of the Health and Care Bill.

The position of the Government has been consistent, and on 7 April we re-confirmed our view that brand advertising is not in scope of this policy, as the legislation only restricts adverts that could reasonably be considered to be for identifiable less healthy products.

Industry raised significant concerns in response to the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) draft implementation guidance published for consultation in February. We are aware that many brands have prepared advertising campaigns in good faith ahead of the restrictions’ current coming into force date of 1 October 2025, and remain concerned about how these adverts will be affected by the ASA’s implementation guidance.

There were several meetings between ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. These discussions culminated in setting out a resolution in our statement of 22 May. We announced that the Government will explicitly exempt ‘brand advertising’ from the advertising restrictions. This is to avoid pigeon-holing brands as less healthy, and instead encouraging brands to reformulate their products and offer healthier options.

Providing this legal clarification on the policy’s intention will provide certainty to industry and will support businesses to invest in advertising with confidence, while ensuring that we deliver on our commitment and protect children from further exposure to junk food advertising and the lifelong harms of obesity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the comments from Baroness Merron regarding the five-fold increase in use of non-cigarette tobacco (HL Deb Col 741) what data they have that show the specific contribution that handmade cigars have made to the increase in use of non-cigarette tobacco products.

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

Tobacco is the single most important, entirely preventable cause of ill health, disability, and death in this country, and is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths in the United Kingdom each year. There is no safe level of tobacco consumption. All tobacco products are harmful. We know that the tobacco smoke from cigars leads to the same type of diseases as the smoke from cigarettes.

A paper by Dr Sarah E Jackson, Dr Lion Shahab, and Dr Jamie Brown titled Trends in Exclusive Non-Cigarette Tobacco Smoking in England: A Population Survey 2013–2023 found that there are approximately five times more people exclusively smoking non-cigarette tobacco in England now than there were a decade ago, with the greatest increase seen in young adults. The products include cigars, pipes, shisha, and cigarillos. The data does not provide precise statistics for handmade cigars, and we do not hold the other detailed information on handmade cigars.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 17 March (HL5423), what plans they have to treat or cure the estimated 1.8 million people suffering from long Covid in the period to March 2024 and those additional people who have contracted the disease since that date.

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

NHS England has invested £314 million since the start of the pandemic to provide care and support for people with long COVID. This includes establishing specialist clinics throughout England to assess adults, children, and young people who are experiencing long-term effects due to COVID-19 infection. A further £86.7 million of funding was included in integrated care board core allocations for 2024/25, and specific regional funding was also allocated for assurance and system support.

To support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England has worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to develop a new Clinical Post-COVID Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice and to support people affected by long COVID. Further information on the Clinical Post-COVID Society is available on their website, in an online only format.

Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council, we have invested over £57 million on research into long COVID, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID. The funded projects aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 14 May (HL7332), whether they plan to explore establishing contractual provisions for community pharmacies to support delivery of the childhood flu national immunisation programme.

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

NHS England has identified key opportunities to further improve uptake, which include strengthening the childhood vaccination offer by exploring the use of other providers to enhance convenience, including community pharmacies. This work is ongoing in collaboration with the Department, NHS England, and key stakeholders.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 14 May (HL7332), what steps they are taking to increase the role of health visitors in delivering vaccinations.

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

To increase the role of health visitors in delivering vaccinations, we are piloting the delivery of childhood vaccinations during health visits from 2025/26. This aims to improve access for families who may face challenges attending general practice appointments, helping to increase uptake and reduce barriers to vaccinations.

Found: Answering member: Baroness Merron | Department: Department of Health and Social Care It is a legal

Found: · In announcing this at Report stage in the Lords, the Minister, Baroness Merron, referred to an

Found: Government commitment made in Lords: Baroness Merron agreed that CTPs should include “interventions

Found: The Minister responding for the government, Baroness Merron , confirmed their reluctance ‘to commit

Found: At Lords Report Stage, my colleague Baroness Merron committed the Government to bringing forward amendments

Found: by Care Quality Commission - Medium [20] Debate: Mental Health Bill [HL] - 2nd Apr 2025 - Baroness Merron

Down Syndrome APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Could a meeting be explored with Baroness Hollins, Baroness Sherlock and Baroness Merron?

University APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: [UIN HL3208] Minister for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health, Baroness Merron: In September

Autism APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Kinnock introduced himself as the lead on the Mental Health Bill in the House of Commons (with Baroness Merron

Autism APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Kinnock introduced himself as the lead on the Mental Health Bill in the House of Commons (with Baroness Merron

Autism APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: the Mental Health Bill (time of meeting dependent on passage through parliament) and inviting Baroness Merron

Autism APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: the Mental Health Bill (time of meeting dependent on passage through parliament) and inviting Baroness Merron

Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: inquiry, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care, Baroness Merron

Performing Arts Education and Training APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Lord Clement-Jones, Baroness Featherstone, Lord German, Sharon Hodgson MP, Jack Lopresti MP, Baroness Merron

Performing Arts Education and Training APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Lord Clement-Jones, Baroness Featherstone, Lord German, Sharon Hodgson MP, Jack Lopresti MP, Baroness Merron

Performing Arts Education and Training APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: from Simon Baynes MP, Lord Clement -Jones, Baroness Featherstone, Lord German, Lord McNally, Baroness Merron

Performing Arts Education and Training APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: from Simon Baynes MP, Lord Clement -Jones, Baroness Featherstone, Lord German, Lord McNally, Baroness Merron

Performing Arts Education and Training APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: following were nominated as additional Vice-Chairs: Sir Peter Bottomley MP, Baroness Featherstone, Baroness Merron

Performing Arts Education and Training APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: following were nominated as additional Vice-Chairs: Sir Peter Bottomley MP, Baroness Featherstone, Baroness Merron

Global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: FCDO Nutrition Policy – 21st February 2022 Baroness Merron, on behalf of APPG on PDRH member Lord Collins

Found: Return Nil Return Ashley Dalton Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Baroness Merron

Found: Return Nil Return Nil Return Ashley Dalton Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Baroness Merron

Found: Baroness Merron Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental

Found: accessed January 2025. 6 National Guardian’s Office Annual Report 2023/24 Ministerial Foreword Baroness Merron

Found: Letter dated 21/05/2025 from Baroness Merron to Lords regarding points raised the debate on the Medical