Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Debate between Baroness Hyde of Bemerton and Baroness Merron

Thursday 25th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hyde of Bemerton]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve awareness and reduce the prevalence of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)]

My Lords, we continue to promote the advice of the Chief Medical Officers in the UK that pregnant women or those planning a pregnancy should avoid alcohol, alongside promoting the NICE quality standards on FASD. We are committed to ensuring that all pregnant women with alcohol problems are supported to reduce the risk of harm to them and the foetus. This includes providing local authorities, through the public health grant, with £3.4 billion of funding for alcohol and drug treatment and recovery over the next three years.

[Baroness Hyde of Bemerton (Lab)]

Labour Governments have a hugely successful track record of improving the health of the population, for example, reducing smoking in public places and the recent range of measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Act. Research evidence suggests that the impact of drinking alcohol in pregnancy—any amount of alcohol—may be comparable or greater than the risks of smoking. Therefore, would the Minister undertake to review all opportunities for enhancing prevention, such as adding foetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevention measures to the recent women’s health strategy, strategies for sexual and reproductive health and the interim mental health strategy? Will she also work with colleagues to ensure that FASD education and prevention is a policy priority for local authority health teams?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

My noble friend is quite right. There are tremendous opportunities to link up work on tackling foetal alcohol spectrum disorder with other parts of our work, not least the major principle of moving from treatment of sickness to prevention. I assure my noble friend that we are working across government. We will also continue to work with all local areas so that we can address unmet need, prioritise prevention and make sure that we have improvements to alcohol treatment services. All of these will make a difference.

Women’s Health Strategy

Debate between Baroness Hyde of Bemerton and Baroness Merron

Thursday 23rd April 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I am pleased to confirm to the noble Baroness the date of 2030, which she rightly gave. I thank her for her welcome for the strategy and kind comments.

On the matter of the workforce, I again refer to the workforce plan, which we will see shortly; it will take account of the very point that she makes. I also refer to the use of technology, because this is not about standing still—it is about enhancing what technology we use, which will drive productivity improvements. With the kind of improvements that we have been talking about, we estimate an up to 21% increase in productivity, which will make a big change and take pressure off the workforce.

[Baroness Hyde of Bemerton (Lab)]

My Lords, I, too, warmly welcome this strategy and thank my noble friend the Minister for all her hard work and persistence with it. It touches on many aspects of my experience but, in the interests of brevity, I shall focus my questions and comments today on endometriosis, having waited eight years myself for diagnosis. I am delighted that the strategy includes a new programme to help young girls to grow up understanding menstrual health and when to seek help. Knowing when to seek help would have saved me many years of monthly agony, vomiting and fever, convulsed on a cold bathroom floor. I note the commitment that women with fibroids and endometriosis will be listened to at first presentation. I have had many bad experiences of clinicians over the years, so I ask my noble friend how we ensure that primary care practitioners listen at first presentation and how we embed that so that future generations of primary care practitioners continue to do so, to save many women the kinds of experiences that I and other people I know have had.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I am sorry to hear of the experience my noble friend has had, and I am sure continues to have in some way. Her experience is reflective of so many women. The education programme for girls about their menstrual health, in which we are investing an additional £1 million, will be delivered through schools and community settings and is absolutely important. If I had to say one thing about the strategy, I would say to women—to us—that we do not need to put up with this. In saying that, you do not always know what is normal, and that is where education comes in and why this is so crucial. Heavy periods are potentially a sign of a number of conditions, including endometriosis, fibroids and others. We will also be working with GPs to improve diagnosis, and we have already introduced “Jess’s Rule”, where, if somebody presents three times with the same or an exaggerated condition, the GP will be required to review it.