Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue interim guidance to local authorities and health and care providers following the Supreme Court ruling that removes the Cheshire West framework for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards; and what timeline they have set, if any, for bringing forward new legislation to restore independent oversight of care arrangements for people who lack mental capacity.

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

The Department will produce guidance to assist with the implications of this ruling. We are working with a range of stakeholder partners and charities to develop the guidance as quickly as possible. Public bodies, including the National Health Service and local authorities, should be alert to emerging guidance and be prepared to update local practice promptly.

There are currently no plans to bring forward new legislation to restore independent oversight of care arrangements for people who lack mental capacity. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards are one of several ways that United Kingdom legislation protects people’s rights. The Care Act 2014 provides explicit safeguards for adults with care and support needs. Section 5 of the Care Act 2014 states that local authorities must ensure that the services they commission are safe, effective, and of high quality.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to protect the rights of people with disabilities following the Supreme Court ruling that overruled the Cheshire West framework for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

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

The Government remains firmly committed to safeguarding and protecting the rights of people with disabilities. The recent Supreme Court judgment clarifies the factors to consider when determining whether someone is deprived of their liberty for the purposes of Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights and that valid consent can be given.

The deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS) system will continue to apply in line with changes informed by the Supreme Court judgement. DoLS are one of several safeguarding protections in place. Adults with care and support needs are safeguarded through the Care Act 2014, which requires local authorities to ensure that commissioned services are safe, effective and high quality. Additional safeguards include the Mental Capacity Act, local authority safeguarding duties through the Care Act 2014, oversight by the Care Quality Commission, and common law duties of care.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to amending the eligibility criteria for the Pride in Place programme to allow more than one neighbourhood within a single parliamentary constituency to receive funding where multiple areas of significant deprivation exist.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Pride in Place programme ensures funding is spread fairly across the country while targeting the communities where it can have the greatest impact. To support this, each parliamentary constituency is currently limited to one funded neighbourhood, helping achieve a balanced national distribution of investment.

Alongside this, a robust, evidence‑led methodology prioritises areas with the highest levels of deprivation and need, and is kept under review as the programme develops.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people who will lose access to independent reviews and advocacy as a result of the Supreme Court ruling removing the Cheshire West Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards framework; and what assessment they have made of the risk of increased abuse and neglect in closed care settings as a consequence.

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

The Government remains firmly committed to safeguarding and protecting the rights of people lacking capacity. The deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS) will continue to apply in line with changes required by the Supreme Court judgment. This includes the right to independent reviews and advocacy where appropriate.

The Department published an update on GOV.UK on 15 June in response to the judgement, a copy of which is attached. The update includes initial steers on what the judgment means, including for valid consent, for practitioners and all those involved in supporting individuals where is a deprivation of liberty. We are working with a range of stakeholder partners and charities to develop follow-up guidance as quickly as possible. The update is attached below.

Individuals receiving care and support who are not subject to DoLS can also access independent reviews and advocacy where appropriate under a range of other safeguards available, including the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Care Act 2014.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) undertakes independent oversight of these safeguards, including DoLS, and will continue to do so in light of the Supreme Court judgment. As part of their inspection regime, CQC checks that care settings and providers have effective systems to help keep adults safe from abuse and neglect, including those subject to DoLS and those not subject to DoLS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce health inequalities arising from substance misuse.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need. Funding for drug and alcohol treatment can reduce societal inequalities and contribute to the Government’s mission to increase opportunity for all.

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning community alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services as part of their public health responsibilities. Over the next three years, through the Public Health Grant, we are providing local authorities with £3.4 billion of ringfenced funding for drug and alcohol prevention, treatment, and recovery. Conditions of the Public Health Grant include that local authorities use the funding solely for the purposes of commissioning and providing drug and alcohol services, and they have a comprehensive plan based on the assessment of local need and which has been developed with local health, housing, employment, children and families, and criminal justice partners.

The Department delivers a robust monitoring and assurance programme, and quality improvement interventions, for local authorities commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services. The number of adults in treatment is now the highest since reporting began, with latest annual statistics showing that between April 2024 and March 2025 there were 329,646 adults aged 18 years old and over in contact with community drug and alcohol treatment services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Cheshire West and Chester Council framework for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, who is responsible for determining whether a person who lacks mental capacity is validly consenting to their care placement; whether that determination rests with the managing authority of the care setting rather than an independent qualified professional such as a social worker, approved mental health professional, or best interests assessor; and, if so, what safeguards exist to prevent the recurrence of the conditions that led to the abuse scandal at Winterbourne View Hospital.

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

The Government remains firmly committed to safeguarding and protecting the rights of people lacking capacity.

As seen in the attached document, The Department published an update on GOV.UK on 15 June in response to the judgement. The update includes initial steers on what the judgment means, including for the assessment of valid consent, for practitioners and all those involved in supporting individuals where is a deprivation of liberty. We are working with a range of stakeholder partners and charities to develop follow-up guidance as quickly as possible.

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are one of several ways that United Kingdom legislation protects people’s rights. Since Winterborne, the Care Act 2014 was implemented and provides explicit safeguards for adults with care and support needs.

As recommended by Baroness Casey, we are working at pace to set up a new National Adult Safeguarding Board to strengthen national oversight and accountability of the safeguarding system and to and to undertake a review of adult safeguarding statutory duties and powers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol in England.

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

Under our Health Mission, this government is committed to prioritising public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives.

We do not currently have any plans to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol in England. However, we are continuing to work closely across government to better understand what can be done to address the drivers of alcohol-related harms.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to the National Health Service of treating conditions caused or exacerbated by tobacco, alcohol and drug use.

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

The following table shows the available estimates of the cost to the National Health Service of treating conditions caused and exacerbated by tobacco and alcohol:

Comparisons of costs should not be made between estimates above because of the different methodologies used in their construction.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any regional variation in access to drug, alcohol and smoking cessation services.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring all areas offer high-quality drug, alcohol, and smoking cessation services, with action to support consistent provision nationwide.

For smoking, we have invested an additional £70 million in both 2024/25 and 2025/26 to support local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England to help people quit. From April 2026, we have provided an additional £260 million over three years, from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and ring-fenced all funding for smoking cessation services within the Public Health Grant, meaning at least £153 million per annum is protected for these services. This will ensure there is a comprehensive offer across local authorities in England and that there is more equitable funding across all regions. The additional funding is weighted toward local authorities with the highest smoking rates to ensure we target areas with the greatest need. We have also has launched a Self-Assessment and Service Improvement Tool to support local authorities to strengthen Stop Smoking Services delivery and improvement, and ensure a minimum standard of service.

For drugs and alcohol, the Department continues to work with all local areas to address unmet need to drive improvements in continuity of care. This includes the Unmet Need Toolkit which can be used by local areas to assess local need and plan to meet it. From 2026, all drug and alcohol treatment and recovery funding is through the Public Health Grant, with £3.4 billion ringfenced for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery over three years. One of the conditions of the Public Health Grant is that all local authorities that receive the grant work with partners to develop a plan to address drug and alcohol need in their community, and this plan is agreed with the Department.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of food delivery services on levels of alcohol consumption and any resultant impact on public health.

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

The Department of Health and Social Care, working in close collaboration with colleagues at the Home Office, are in the early stages of assessing the impact of food delivery services on levels of alcohol consumption and any resultant impact on public health, reflecting the importance of ensuring that the licensing regime remains robust and effective.

A roundtable was convened by both Minister Jones, Minister for Policing and Crime, and Minister Hodgson, Minister for Public Health and Prevention on 15 June, to explore the impact of rapid alcohol deliveries on consumption, the potential impact on harms, and potential solutions. We are also commissioning research to bridge evidence gaps.

The delivery of alcohol is regulated under the Licensing Act 2003, responsibility for which rests with the Home Office. This Government recognises that consumer purchasing habits have evolved in recent years, particularly with a notable growth in alcohol sales made via online platforms and rapid delivery services.