Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to update the school food standards to ensure that breakfasts served in free breakfast clubs are nutritionally beneficial.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and giving every child the best start in life. Breakfast clubs will remove barriers to opportunity by ensuring every child, no matter their circumstances, is set-up for the day and ready to learn by providing a supportive start to the day. The government is committed to making quick progress to deliver on its commitment to offer breakfast clubs in every primary school.
The department has taken decisive action by announcing in the King’s Speech that, under the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, every primary school in England will offer a breakfast club. Legislating for breakfast club provision will give schools the certainty they need to plan for the future. Before the legislation comes into force, the department will work closely with the sector to make sure the right support, including funding, guidance and resources are in place.
Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure children that are from the most deprived households will be able to access free breakfast clubs.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and giving every child the best start in life. Breakfast clubs will remove barriers to opportunity by ensuring every child, no matter their circumstances, is set-up for the day and ready to learn by providing a supportive start to the day. The government is committed to making quick progress to deliver on its commitment to offer breakfast clubs in every primary school.
The department has taken decisive action by announcing in the King’s Speech that, under the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, every primary school in England will offer a breakfast club. Legislating for breakfast club provision will give schools the certainty they need to plan for the future. Before the legislation comes into force, the department will work closely with the sector to make sure the right support, including funding, guidance and resources are in place.
Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to introduce free breakfast clubs in primary schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and giving every child the best start in life. Breakfast clubs will remove barriers to opportunity by ensuring every child, no matter their circumstances, is set-up for the day and ready to learn by providing a supportive start to the day. The government is committed to making quick progress to deliver on its commitment to offer breakfast clubs in every primary school.
The department has taken decisive action by announcing in the King’s Speech that, under the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, every primary school in England will offer a breakfast club. Legislating for breakfast club provision will give schools the certainty they need to plan for the future. Before the legislation comes into force, the department will work closely with the sector to make sure the right support, including funding, guidance and resources are in place.
Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of voluntary sugar reduction programmes.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The effectiveness of the United Kingdom’s voluntary sugar reduction programme has been assessed. Four reports have been published to date, which are available on the GOV.UK website, reviewing the progress made by businesses in delivering the 20% reduction target set.
The most recent report, detailing progress between 2015 and 2020, showed that reductions had been delivered in all food categories included in the programme. The greatest reductions in sales weighted average sugar levels per 100 grams were made in breakfast cereals, with a 14.9% reduction in sugar, and yogurts and fromage frais, with a 13.5% reduction. Overall, a reduction of only 3.5% in sales weighted average sugar levels per 100 grams has been delivered by the programme. This is lower than the reductions made in individual categories because of substantial increases in sales in products with high sugar levels such as chocolate confectionary. Reductions were also seen in the calorie levels per single serving of some products. Mixed progress was seen across different companies and brands, and the out of home sector generally delivered less than retailers and manufacturers.
Juices and milk-based drinks are included in the voluntary programme, as they are excluded from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, and were required to deliver 5% and 20% reductions, respectively, in sugar levels per 100 millilitres. The most recent progress data shows that between 2017 and 2020, retailers and manufacturers had not met the 5% target reductions in juices, while out of home blended juices had delivered reductions of approximately 9%. The 20% reduction target has been achieved in three out of six categories for retailer and manufacturer milk-based drinks, with some reduction in calories. In the out of home sector, there has been a 10% sugar reduction in hot and cold drinks, but this category has also seen a 14% increase in calories. Out of home milkshakes have also seen an approximate 12% increase in both sugar and calories.
Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the lack of verifiable identification such as driving licences for 16-year-olds with regards to the introduction of a ban on the sale of high caffeine energy drinks to children under 16.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the King’s Speech, we plan to bring forward the necessary secondary legislation to deliver on our commitment to end the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds in the first parliamentary session. We are developing plans which will take into account enforcement and other issues, and will set these out in a consultation in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the timeline for banning the sale of high caffeine energy drinks to children under 16.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the King’s Speech, we plan to bring forward the necessary secondary legislation to deliver on our commitment to end the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds in the first parliamentary session. We are developing plans which will take into account enforcement and other issues, and will set these out in a consultation in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce an obesity strategy.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Supporting people in staying healthier for longer is at the heart of the Government’s health mission. We face a childhood obesity crisis, and the Government will take action to tackle it head on, easing the strain on the National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
As set out in the King’s Speech, we will bring forward the necessary secondary legislation to ban junk food advertising to children, and stop the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds. The Government recognises that prevention will always be better than a cure. Further action on obesity under the Government’s health mission will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what powers the Environment Agency holds to require companies to release 15-minute flow data when requested, and under which regulations they have this power.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The Environment Agency has the power to require Water Companies to provide detailed flow data under the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations 2016. Regulation 61(1) gives the power to require the information.
Permit conditions state reports in relation to 15-minute flow data are to be provided to the Environment Agency upon request within 28 days, unless otherwise specified in writing by the Environment Agency.
Authorised officers of the Environment Agency are empowered to inspect and retain copies of records that are relevant to any examination or investigation under Section 108 (4) (k) Environment Act 1995 – requirement to produce records.
Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to direct the Environment Agency to revise all permits issued in respect of water company sewage discharges under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, so that those permits fully reflect the combined obligations of the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994 and the judgment in the case of Commission v UK, case C-301/10, of 18 October 2012.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Under the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994, storm overflows are investigated using an Environment Agency framework, the Storm Overflow Assessment Framework. This framework is consistent with the Court of Justice of the be put European Union’s (CJEU) judgment in the Commission v UK case. Where upgrades or solutions are identified under this framework, the Environment Agency require that improvements in place as soon as reasonably practicable and are accompanied by necessary permit variations by the Environment Agency to reflect those requirements.
Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the results of the Storm Overflow Assessment Framework will be published for storm overflows potentially discharging untreated sewage into English rivers; and on what occasions there have been (1) overflows where untreated sewage can be lawfully discharged other than as a result of exceptional rainfall, and (2) overflows where untreated sewage cannot be lawfully discharged other than as a result of exceptional rainfall.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Outcomes of the Storm Overflow Assessment Framework (SOAF) investigations within calendar year are reported through the annual Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) reporting from Water and Sewerage Companies to the Environment Agency at the end of February the following year. The Environment Agency publishes these EDM reports by end of March each year.
The Environment Agency will publish the 2023 EDM report in March 2024 and this will contain outcomes from SOAF investigations completed by December 2023. The Environment Agency will assess data provided by each water company in order to assess whether they are meeting their legal obligations with regards to the discharge of untreated sewage.