Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many post implementation reviews completed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since October 2024 entailed consultation with external stakeholders.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As of 10 June 2025, Defra has completed 42 post implementation reviews since October 2024. Of these, 36 involved consultation and engagement with external stakeholders. Methods included targeted stakeholder surveys, questionnaires, and interviews in addition to evidence gathered in the course of business-as-usual stakeholder engagement and wider policy consultations.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will include (1) creating alternative diagnostic pathways for people with signs and symptoms of cancer, and (2) expanding direct patient access to diagnostics, as part of the national cancer plan.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, research, and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, including improving diagnostic performance.
We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.
Full roll out of non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways, designed to speed up the diagnosis of cancer, has been achieved across England. NSS pathways introduce a route to possible diagnosis for patients who display symptoms that could indicate cancer, but which do not align to specific cancers. The new non-specific pathway complements current cancer diagnostic pathways, as well as providing elements that can be applied to existing pathways.
Additionally, general practice (GP) direct access enables GPs to directly request diagnostic tests, including several imaging modalities, such as ultrasound, x-ray, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging, rather than first requiring a patient be referred to a specialist in an outpatient appointment. Performing diagnostic tests at this stage ensures that patients receive test results more quickly.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement sustainable draining systems in all new developments to reduce flood risk and enhance biodiversity.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to requiring standardised Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in new developments. These should be to designs that cope with changing climatic conditions as well as delivering wider water infrastructure benefits, offer reuse opportunities, reduce run off and help to improve water quality, amenity, and biodiversity. It is also important to ensure appropriate adoption and maintenance arrangements are in place.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the National Service Specification for Cleft Lip and/or Palate Services will continue to be delivered in full during the process of merging NHS England into the Department for Health and Social Care.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead the formation of a new joint centre.
We are assessing the full range of current functions across both organisations and options for future allocation. At this stage, it is too early to say what the precise changes in personnel and organisational design will be and how this will impact on the delivery of services for cleft lip and/or palate.
The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and raising the healthiest generation of children ever, and this includes children, young people, and adults with a cleft lip and/or palate.
There are nine specialist services across England that provide lifelong care for individuals with cleft lip and/or palate and non-cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction, offering diagnosis, treatment, and multidisciplinary support from before birth into adulthood.
NHS England’s Service Specification for Cleft Lip and Palate Services, a copy of which is attached, includes optimal timelines for carrying out cleft lip and palate surgeries. National data indicates that there is national variation linked to surgery timings. Consequently, NHS England’s Specialised Surgery in Children Clinical Reference Group has been developing a collaborative programme of work with individual services, integrated care boards, and the Cleft Development Group. The Cleft Development Group is made up of active clinical staff from cleft services, Public Health Consultants, and patient representatives.
The programme of work has only just commenced and will report back progress to NHS England’s Delegated Commissioning Group in December 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the National Service Specification for Cleft Lip and/or Palate Services is being delivered in full by NHS England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead the formation of a new joint centre.
We are assessing the full range of current functions across both organisations and options for future allocation. At this stage, it is too early to say what the precise changes in personnel and organisational design will be and how this will impact on the delivery of services for cleft lip and/or palate.
The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and raising the healthiest generation of children ever, and this includes children, young people, and adults with a cleft lip and/or palate.
There are nine specialist services across England that provide lifelong care for individuals with cleft lip and/or palate and non-cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction, offering diagnosis, treatment, and multidisciplinary support from before birth into adulthood.
NHS England’s Service Specification for Cleft Lip and Palate Services, a copy of which is attached, includes optimal timelines for carrying out cleft lip and palate surgeries. National data indicates that there is national variation linked to surgery timings. Consequently, NHS England’s Specialised Surgery in Children Clinical Reference Group has been developing a collaborative programme of work with individual services, integrated care boards, and the Cleft Development Group. The Cleft Development Group is made up of active clinical staff from cleft services, Public Health Consultants, and patient representatives.
The programme of work has only just commenced and will report back progress to NHS England’s Delegated Commissioning Group in December 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the data sets and methods that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) used to calculate the vaccine effectiveness estimates that informed the cost-effectiveness estimates on which the JCVI’s advice for a COVID-19 vaccination programme in autumn/winter 2025 was based.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI) advice on COVID-19 vaccination in 2025 and spring 2026 was published on 13 November 2024.
The advice was based on a cost-effectiveness study of COVID-19 vaccination by the University of Warwick, published in the journal Vaccine in February 2025 by Keeling et al. The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) vaccine effectiveness estimates were used by the University of Warwick in their cost-effectiveness analysis.
The data set and methodology used by UKHSA to calculate these estimates were published in the Journal of Infection in July 2024 by Kirsebom et al.
The JCVI continues to keep all United Kingdom vaccination programmes under review as new evidence emerges.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to integrate approaches to adapting to climate change in (1) the Land Use Framework, (2) the Environmental Improvement Plan, (3) the 25-year farming road map, and (4) the food strategy, in line with recommendations made by the Climate Change Committee in the report Progress in adapting to climate change: 2025 report to Parliament, published on 30 April.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We welcome the Climate Change Committee's latest report and are carefully considering its recommendations. The Government is required under the Climate Change Act to respond by 15 October that same year. The Government response, led by Defra will include input from 12 departments addressing the 57 sectoral recommendations in the report.