Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the UK Health Security Agency has made of the levels of lead exposure of populations living near historic lead mines.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has not specifically assessed exposures to lead in communities living near historic lead mines in England. This is because the UKHSA advises regulators and other stakeholders on the overall health risk assessment process but does not have a statutory role in relation to contaminated land.

The UKHSA is a partner in the Elevated Childhood Lead Interagency Prevalence Study, which was set up to determine the prevalence of elevated levels of lead in children in Leeds. It is envisaged that this study may inform the feasibility of a lead screening programme in children.

The UKHSA is also evaluating current background exposure to lead and other environmental pollutants. A human biomonitoring module was implemented into the NHS Health Survey for England 2022 to 2023 programme. Data on background levels of heavy metals, including lead, in the population samples are expected to be published in Autumn 2026. These data may allow us to determine if there are areas of England where exposures are above average.