Asked by: Lord Markham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 16 February (HL14539), whether water companies are required to make an active contribution to the protection and improvement of public health.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Water companies have statutory and regulatory duties to protect and improve public health and actively take steps to meet them. These include completion of risk assessments and the sampling of drinking water supplies that may cause the supply not to be wholesome. “Wholesomeness” is defined in the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 as water which does not contain any microorganism, parasite, or substance at a concentration or value which would constitute a potential danger to public health.
Where a water company is also legally required to add fluoride to water supplies to improve public health, it must do so in a way that complies with the Drinking Water Inspectorate’s Code of Practice on Technical Aspects of Fluoridation of Water Supplies 2021.
Protecting and improving public health is also a priority in the Government’s planned reforms for the water sector. A new taskforce, led by the Chief Medical Officer for England, will support the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, providing independent and technical advice on public health risks from water and opportunities to improve water treatment and protection.
Asked by: Lord Markham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 16 February (HL14539), whether they will ensure that any new water regulations include a clear requirement for water companies to support, maintain and, where appropriate, expand fluoridation schemes in their areas.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The maintenance and expansion of water fluoridation schemes are set out in the Water Industry Act 1991 and associated regulations. These provide the requirements that apply to water companies where my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, proposes to enter, vary, or terminate arrangements for fluoridation of water.
There are no current plans to change these requirements through new regulations. However, the White Paper A New Vision for Water published in January 2026 confirms that, as long term reforms to the water industry are delivered, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will work in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care to support delivery of 10-Year Health Plan, which includes assessing further expansion of water fluoridation where oral health outcomes are poorest.
Asked by: Lord Markham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 16 February (HL14539), whether they will establish a statutory duty for water companies to follow the recommendations of the advisory group to the Independent Water Commission and work with the Secretary of State and relevant public health authorities on the implementation, operation, and maintenance of community water fluoridation schemes.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The White Paper A New Vision for Water published in January 2026 sets out the Government’s plans to implement the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission. This includes an integrated water regulator to deliver fair and effective regulation that protects and improves public health. A drinking water quality advisory group, including scientific and public health experts, will be given responsibility for making regular recommendations for updating drinking water regulations to ensure value for money whilst helping protect and improve public health.
Asked by: Lord Markham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the white paper A New Vision for Water, on 20 January, what plans they have to expand community water fluoridation to improve oral health outcomes in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A New Vision for Water sets out that public health will be considered in new water frameworks and regulations. This will support delivery of shared outcomes, like those in the 10-Year Health Plan, which commits to assessing the further rollout of water fluoridation in areas where oral health outcomes are worst. We will also expand community water fluoridation in the north east of England from 2028 so that it reaches 1.6 million more people by April 2030. We will also refurbish older, existing water fluoridation schemes in England, benefitting a further six million people by 2030.
Asked by: Lord Markham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to measure the effectiveness of and potential to rapidly adopt cancer therapies that require non-genomic biomarker testing.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has a key role in assessing the safety and efficacy of any medicine, and newly licensed medicines are appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
The NICE routinely appraises medicines with accompanying biomarkers/companion diagnostics and considers the relevant costs and implications in order to provide robust guidance and support rapid access to clinically and cost-effective medicines. Additionally, the MHRA and the NICE are already actively engaged in supporting industry through scientific advice ahead of, and as part of, the regulatory approval process for cancer therapies that require non-genomic biomarker testing. The MHRA is also working on guidance and further support for industry to better understand how biomarkers and similar products are considered in the regulatory process. This includes, but is not limited to, non-genomic testing.
The MHRA encourages potential applicants to engage early to establish the suitability of biomarkers in the Scientific Advice process, as these decisions are frequently specific to the indication and intended use. The MHRA also supports the development and availability of innovative medicines through a range of regulatory initiatives designed to enable earlier patient access while maintaining uncompromising standards of safety. Central to this is the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP), which offers a joined-up approach between the MHRA, the NICE, and National Health Service bodies, including within the devolved administrations. The ILAP provides early regulatory input through an Innovation Passport and a tailored roadmap to authorisation, helping promising new medicines reach patients more quickly.
Asked by: Lord Markham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in the upcoming national cancer plan to identify and address regional disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including ovarian cancer, as quickly as possible, to treat it faster, and to improve outcomes. This is supported by NHS England’s key ambition on cancer to meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard, which sets a target of 28 days from urgent referral by a general practitioner or screening programme to patients being told that they have cancer, or that cancer is ruled out.
Reducing inequity and variation in cancer care is a priority for the Government, as is increasing early cancer diagnosis, as both are key contributors to reducing cancer health inequalities. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the NHS’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities.
In addition, we have committed to delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, during our first year in Government as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.
The recently announced National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. This will include improving levels of early diagnosis across England. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years, including to ovarian cancer.