Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps to improve access to minimally-processed foods for (a) all consumers and (b) children and young people.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government’s Eatwell Guide already advises that people should eat more fruit and vegetables, and wholegrain or higher-fibre foods, as well as less processed meat, and food and drink that is high in sugar, calories, saturated fat, and salt.

The Eatwell Guide principles are communicated through a variety of channels, including the NHS.UK website and Government social marketing campaigns. For example, the Better Health Healthier Families website and the Healthy Steps email programme, which aims to help families with primary aged children in England to eat well and move more.

A range of actions that have already been taken to create a healthier environment to help children reduce their consumption of processed foods that are high in energy, saturated fat, salt, and free sugars, and to improve access to affordable minimally processed foods, include:

- the Healthy Start scheme, which supported over 361,000 people in April 2025;

- the Nursery Milk Scheme, which provides a reimbursement to childcare providers in England and Wales for a daily 1/3 pint portion of milk to children and babies; and

- the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, which provides approximately 2.2 million children in Key Stage 1 with a portion of fresh fruit or vegetables per day at school.

In relation to foods and drinks high in calories, saturated fat, salt, and free sugars, work on our commitments is progressing through:

- implementing the television and online advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink;

- consulting on plans to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old; and

- giving local authorities stronger, clearer powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools and where young people congregate.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the cumulative impact of changes to (a) business rates and (b) employer National Insurance contributions on the financial viability of (i) pubs and (ii) breweries.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

From 2026-27, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000. This permanent tax cut will ensure that eligible RHL businesses benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

Eligibility for the new RHL multipliers is intended to broadly reflect the scope of the existing RHL relief scheme, and will be set out in legislation later this year.

Until these new tax rates are introduced, in 2025-26, RHL businesses will receive a 40 per cent relief on their eligible properties up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. Under the previous Government, RHL relief was due to end entirely in April 2025. By extending the relief, the Government has saved the average pub, with a ratable value of £16,800, over £3,300.

Tax policy and legislation is not subject to the Better Regulation Framework Guidance, which requires an Impact Assessment to accompany policy decisions. Nevertheless, when the new multipliers are set at Budget 2025, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.

Regarding National Insurance contributions, a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the Exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support Integrated Care Boards to increase the availability of Fracture Liaison Services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need.

Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to include measures to help protect steelmakers from subsidised steel imports from (a) China and (b) the wider Far East in the forthcoming trade strategy.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Steel is a top priority for this government. The UK applies 10 anti-dumping measures and two anti-subsidy measures on steel imports from China, and a safeguard measure on global imports for 14 steel categories. This measure was adjusted on 30 June to provide more effective protection for domestic producers.

On 26 June the government published its Trade Strategy, announcing we will sharpen our trade defence toolkit to better protect critical sectors, such as steel, from harm. Alongside this we launched the Steel Trade Measures Call for Evidence to prepare us for the expiry of the steel safeguard in June 2026.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support mechanisms he is considering for the UK steel industry should the criteria for removing export tariffs on shipments to the US not be met.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government’s priority remains the swift implementation of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal to enable UK businesses to export steel and aluminium to the United States without incurring Section 232 tariffs. We are engaged in active and constructive discussions with our US counterparts to this end.

The Government has also taken major action on areas crucial for the sector, including slashing electricity costs, changing procurement rules to ensure UK-made-steel is considered for all public projects and opening a Call for Evidence on future trade measures. More detailed information on support for the sector can be found in a press release published on 03 July.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has considered increasing the size of the Steel Fund, in the context of funding allocated to the running of British Steel under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We are committed to providing up to £2.5bn for steel which is being delivered in part through the National Wealth Fund.

At the Spending Review, the Chancellor confirmed that we will invest in the long-term future of Scunthorpe. We have been clear that private investment to modernise British Steel will also be required and work continues at pace to develop the optimal approach. Over £100m of funding has been provided to British Steel to ensure continued operation of the blast furnaces.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the information on gov.uk on the support available to asylum seekers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office keeps all its information pages under regular review.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to replace the import safeguard quotas for steel when they expire in June 2026.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Steel is a top priority for this Government and we recognise the continuing challenges facing the UK steel industry – driven by persistent overcapacity and unfair trading practices.

We will ensure there is a plan in place for the UK steel industry following the expiry of the global safeguard measure on certain steel imports next year. That is why we launched a Call for Evidence on Steel Trade Measures on the 26^th of June to inform the design of any potential trade measures, including appropriate tariff rates and quota levels.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has set a cap on the amount of funding he will allocate to the running of British Steel in the next three financial years.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Funding is provided to British Steel under the provisions of the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act. This funding is intended to ensure the safe and continued operation of the blast furnaces. The intervention is a temporary measure and work is continuing to determine the best long-term sustainable future for the site.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he next plans to conduct a national security assessment of (a) British Steel and (b) the wider UK steel industry.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The government is conducting a range of assessments and analysis to inform future options for British Steel and our strategy for the steel industry. Matters relating to national security are under constant review. We do not comment on the timing or content of any assessments.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve NHS support for children and families with severe food allergies.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on schools to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions, and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed. This includes allergies. The policy should also set out how staff will be supported in carrying out their role to support pupils, including how training needs are assessed and how training is commissioned and provided. Any member of school staff providing support to a pupil with medical needs should have received suitable training.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) encourages food businesses to complete the FSA’s allergen e-learning course and recommends that it is retaken annually to refresh knowledge and ensure that businesses are up to date on any changes which may have occurred. The FSA online training is free and offers practical advice to anyone wanting to learn more about food allergy.

NHS England has also produced the Healthy School Child e-learning programme, which available at the following link:

https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/healthy-school-child/

This programme is designed for healthcare professionals, including school nurses, working with children aged five to 12 years old. Module 5 of the e-learning programme includes sessions on asthma, eczema, and other allergies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making more emergency adrenaline auto-injectors available in community settings.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In November 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Commission on Human Medicine’s Adrenaline Auto-injector Expert Working Group, with wide-ranging input from patient groups, leading allergy experts, and healthcare professionals, published a report which outlined recommendations for the safe and effective use of adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs), including quicker treatment, to help save lives. The MHRA has worked alongside the Department and the wider health system to take forward these recommendations, some of which are already in place.

In June 2023, the MHRA, with the support of allergy awareness advocates, launched a safety campaign to raise awareness of anaphylaxis and to provide advice on the use of AAIs. The MHRA produced a toolkit of resources for health and social care professionals to support the safe and effective use of AAIs. Alongside this, the MHRA produced guidance, which states that prescribers should prescribe two AAIs to make sure patients always have the second dose, and that those who are prescribed AAIs should always carry two AAIs at all times.

The majority of community pharmacies offer vaccinations. As part of offering this service, pharmacy contractors are expected to recognise and treat anaphylaxis. They must have immediate access to an anaphylaxis pack, including adrenaline. They are required to undertake training to administer adrenaline from an ampoule using a needle and AAIs in case of anaphylactic reactions.

Found: Q91 Gregory Stafford: Good afternoon, Secretary of State.

Found: Q91 Gregory Stafford: Good afternoon, Secretary of State.

Found: Q38 Gregory Stafford: How many have been rolled out so far?

Submit Evidence (by 28 Aug 2025)

The Committee is holding an inquiry into food and weight management, including treatments for obesity.