Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of baby boxes in Scotland; and whether his Department has plans to extend such provision to England.

No assessment has been made of the effectiveness of baby boxes in Scotland, and we have no plans to formally extend such provision to England.

Unicef UK and the Lullaby Trust have provided statements regarding what considerations should be made when delivering such schemes to ensure that they comply with safety standards and cause no harm to babies and their parents. The statements can be accessed at the following links:

https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/11/Statement-on-Baby-Box-Schemes-Unicef-UK-Baby-Friendly-Initiative.pdf

https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/are-baby-boxes-safe-to-sleep-baby/