Food, Diet and Obesity Committee Report

Baroness Manzoor Excerpts

Friday 28th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Manzoor (Con)]

My Lords, what an excellent and informative debate this has been. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Walmsley, and her committee members for this timely, hard-hitting and excellent report. She made an outstanding speech opening this debate. The report makes some important key recommendations. As noble Lords have rightly highlighted, two-thirds of adults in the UK are currently overweight or obese. The UK has the third-highest rate of obesity in Europe, behind only Malta and Turkey. While the rates of obesity among adults appear to have stabilised over the past five years, we clearly still have a long way to go. Much greater pace needs to be introduced to tackle, in a holistic way, obesity and the issues that surround it.

We are often bombarded by statements that healthy eating is simply a choice, but I am afraid that the choice is often illusory. It is not just as simple as that, as has been powerfully articulated by the noble Baronesses, Lady Suttie, Lady Freeman of Steventon and Lady Goudie, and my noble friends Lady Jenkin of Kennington and Lord Caithness in relation to issues around ultra-processed foods. Those who cannot afford healthier alternatives or children in schools who are not given healthier options do not have the luxury of choice. Nor is there sufficient choice of quality foods for those on lower incomes, as outlined so ably by the noble Baroness, Lady Brown of Silvertown. Oviva, a provider of NHS weight management services, estimates that 22% of its patients are in the bottom socioeconomic groups and 13% are unemployed, as my noble friend Lady Browning and other noble Lords referred to.

As has also been mentioned, eating habits are often formed in childhood. The foods made available to our children often follow them into adulthood, and the choices made, as the noble Baroness, Lady Batters, outlined, can remain for a very long time. NHS Digital’s 2024 national child measurement programme showed that two in five children in England leave primary school above a healthy weight, as referred to by the noble Lords, Lord Rennard and Lord Brooke. As the report makes clear, environmental factors are one of the most significant drivers of those habits.

If we as a society are to have any hope of tackling the scale of the obesity crisis, we must start by making positive changes in the food environment our children are exposed to, in relation to not only food safety but quality, as my noble friend Lady Coffey outlined so ably. There is precedent for this. The Japanese health authority is world leading. A 2021 article in Pediatrics International pointed to the comprehensive and consistent health education in Japanese schools. This is enabled by a national curriculum that embeds scientifically backed teaching on how to form healthier eating habits and the provision in every school of a qualified nutritionist to prepare school meal plans that are low in salt, sugar and fats. Will the Minister look at working with her ministerial colleagues in the Department for Education to ensure better health and nutrition education?

All this is essential to address the issues identified by the noble Lord, Lord Darzi. As his report established, we need to move away from reactive medicine and towards a far greater focus on preventive healthcare. I know the Minister supports this. Of course, a healthier population is the foundation of a healthier economy. Frontier Economics estimated that in 2023 the total economic cost of obesity was £98 billion, as so ably outlined by my noble friends Lord Bethell and Lord McColl. It is evidently in all our best interests to make further progress here.

There are also a few warnings that we must heed, which a number of noble Lords have outlined. First, all noble Lords will be aware of the recent rise in the use and availability of weight-loss drugs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide. While these drugs have some success in helping people, they should be available only to those who need them, access should not be limited by affordability, and we must be careful about overmedication. Secondly, we must be wary of vested interests, as my noble friend Lady Browning, the noble Baroness, Lady Boycott, and other noble Lords highlighted very powerfully. The Government have recently announced their food strategy board, comprising the heads of a number of large food retailers. I appreciate the importance of bringing the industry together, but there must be an assurance that such a body will not simply lobby for its own interests to the detriment of public health. What safeguards will be put in place to address that?

In conclusion, the Government need to address this urgently and put in place key preventive strategies to address the root causes of obesity and poor health now. Although it will be welcome, we cannot afford to wait for the Government’s 10-year plan. Indeed, the NHS cannot afford financially and structurally to wait that long. Action on tackling obesity does not require the reinvention of the wheel. As the noble Lord, Lord Krebs, my noble friends Lady Meyer, Lord Bethell and Lady Jenkin and other noble Lords have said, the research has been done, the reports have been published and it now falls on the Government to be bold, to act and to implement the recommendations at pace. All the evidence is there.

Soft Drinks Industry Levy

Baroness Manzoor Excerpts

Tuesday 18th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

My noble friend is right: voluntary schemes can indeed work well. In addition to crediting my noble friend for his work with the Food Standards Agency, I can tell your Lordships’ House that voluntary reformulation has encouraged sugar reduction by around 15% in cereals, 13% in yoghurts and 29% in milk-based drinks, and contributed to a reduction in salt intake. Of course more can be done to improve everyday food and drink, and we continue to work by whatever means necessary and within all sectors of industry to do just that.

[Baroness Manzoor (Con)]

My Lords, the Minister will know that sugar has been substituted with glycerol in slushy drinks—these are iced drinks that are particularly for children. This is having an adverse health impact, particularly on young children. According to recent press announcements, a number have been admitted to hospital. Can the Minister say what the Government are doing to educate parents and to address this issue?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I thank the noble Baroness for raising this very important point. The Food Standards Agency is considering very carefully the findings of the review mentioned in the media, to which she referred. In the meantime, parents are strongly encouraged to follow the advice that slushy drinks should not be given to children under four years old. Retailers are also advised to make adults fully aware of this guidance if they seek to buy them for children. In addition, although the symptoms of intake are usually mild, it is important that parents are aware of the risks, particularly at high levels of consumption. I thank the noble Baroness for shining a light on this matter.

Apricity Fertility Closure

Baroness Manzoor Excerpts

Wednesday 12th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The noble Baroness and other noble Lords are quite right in what they are reporting on the change. Fertility treatment is now overwhelmingly obtained through private means. It is in a very different place from the rest of healthcare in our country.

On the point the noble Baroness made—I am grateful for her contribution in view of her previous service in this area—there are many claims made, for example, about egg freezing. It is crucial that anyone considering freezing their eggs understands that there is an optimum age for freezing, that it is a serious medical procedure and that the risks should be taken into account. That chimes with the point made by my noble friend Lord Winston.

The market has changed—it has very much become a market. The demand is huge and has multiplied many times over the decades. We are not in a situation where we have either the regulation or the NHS provision to deal with that. I assure your Lordships’ House that we are working with NHS England, particularly on the variability up and down the country.

[Baroness Manzoor (Con)]

My Lords, the Minister is right that the market has changed, but the legislation has not been kept up to date; nor has it kept up to date with patient expectations, developments and the way those services are being provided for some of these women. Often, some of these women are vulnerable. Can the Minister say exactly what the Government will do to update not only the regulations but the law?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

In my discussions, I will consider the publication Modernising Fertility Law, which, as I said, the HFEA put forward in November 2023. In it there are a number of recommendations for urgent change, which I am taking extremely seriously. Most patients are funding their own treatment, which is why we have to make a shift. In 2022, 27% of IVF cycles were funded by the NHS; that figure fell from 40% in 2012. That gives some idea of the scale of the challenge. I consider it unacceptable that access to NHS-funded fertility services is so variable across the country.

Prostate Cancer: National Screening Programme

Baroness Manzoor Excerpts

Thursday 27th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The noble Baroness is absolutely right. I encourage everyone, men and women, to be aware of any changes in their bodies. They are not wasting the time of their GP. That is exactly what they should do. As she says, men are disproportionately affected by a number of health conditions, including some cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. As part of addressing this, the Secretary of State has announced that we are developing a men’s health strategy, not least because we know that men are less likely to come forward to deal with health matters.

[Baroness Manzoor (Con)]

My Lords, in the absence of a national screening programme and given the difficulty in getting access to GPs, particularly in deprived areas, how are the Government improving access to GPs? In some areas, it is two to three weeks before people can get an appointment.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

Again, I am sure that the noble Baroness would agree that the important thing is that people ensure that they do not ignore the situation. I agree that the situation that we inherited was hugely difficult, particularly in some areas, around GPs. In the 10-year plan, which will be published in the coming months, there will be a big focus on the move from sickness to prevention, from analogue to digital, and from hospital to community. In all three pillars, greater access to GP appointments will be included.

Prisons: Health Services

Baroness Manzoor Excerpts

Tuesday 14th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I thank the noble Baroness for raising such an important point and for having worked on this in the past. I will need to write her with the exact figures, but we do know that more needs to be done to address health issues. However, we are keen to ensure, and are working towards making sure, that healthcare for prisoners, whether at the end of their lives or earlier, is appropriate and meets their needs, whichever is the right way to do it. Great strides have been made in that regard.

[Baroness Manzoor (Con)]

My Lords, the Minister will know that the most common diseases in prisons are diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV and mental illnesses. What are the Government doing to ensure that psychosis resulting from the use of illicit drugs is being controlled effectively, so that there are not more cases of psychosis and mental illness in our prisons?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

Substance misuse in prison, to which the noble Baroness refers, is of course a major issue, and prison security has a crucial role to play in reducing it. I should also say that the use of illegal drugs can impact on routine healthcare for all prisoners, as resources have to be directed to the more immediate cases. Noble Lords may remember that we recently had delegated legislation to ensure that nasal Naloxone could be administered, including by prison staff, to prevent opioid-induced emergencies. All these things will help, and substance misuse support is available in all prisons in line with the national service specifications, but we are working across government to see what more we can do. It is a big issue.

Bread and Flour Regulations 1998

Baroness Manzoor Excerpts

Wednesday 11th December 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I am glad my noble friend welcomes the announcement that I am making today. With respect to any phone calls made by the Secretary of State, I will gladly find out; I certainly cannot comment at this Dispatch Box. I thank previous Ministers and officials who, over the years, have contributed to where we are. In respect of the delay, all I can say is that I am very glad to be the Minister announcing it today.

[Baroness Manzoor (Con)]

My Lords, I welcome the announcement; I think it is very good news. I also welcome the tenacity of the noble Lord, Lord Rooker. He has done an amazing job, so well done to him. For me, it is important to have a widespread strategy to include folic acid in flour and to look at previous programmes to, say, reduce rickets, to ensure that we do not increase inequalities by not thinking about the outcomes—for instance, ensuring that folic acid is included in chapatti flour.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The addition of folic acid is to non-wholemeal products. Flour is not just used in baking but is in all sorts of other products. That is part of the reason for it being a 24-month transition, and of course industry can act quicker than that. The reason that it is in non-wholemeal flour is that wholemeal is already a higher source of folate. In respect of chapattis, all products will be considered. I should add that some of the transition time is due to the labelling changes that will be required. We are not stopping industry acting quicker, but we are being realistic about how long it will take.

NHS: Treatment of Children from Other Countries

Baroness Manzoor Excerpts

Thursday 21st November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The noble Lord shines a light on the rarity of this condition as well as its importance. I would of course be happy to meet the professor. The noble Lord will know from our own discussions that this is an extremely complex area across the NHS and there is, as I said in my Answer, no overarching UK approach. Rightly, this is a trust-led approach because trusts have to make decisions about the balance between specialist work and other work, including the reduction of waiting lists.

[Baroness Manzoor (Con)]

I support the premise of the Question. Can we look at the NHS supporting these cases? From my perspective it is vital for three reasons. First, it is inspirational on the world stage for the NHS. Secondly, it retains expertise in the NHS. Thirdly, it offers the soft diplomacy powers that we need internationally. I urge the Minister to look at this again to see if the Government can find a way round it.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I will be glad to take back to the department the comments of the noble Baroness and the noble Lord, but I reiterate that it is individual expert centres that are responsible for liaising with referring clinicians. By definition this has to be done on a case-by-case basis because we are talking about highly specialised treatments for rare diseases. Again, there is no set nationwide policy for local implementation because of the very nature of the challenge and the specialism to which the noble Baroness refers.

NHS Hospitals: Apheresis

Baroness Manzoor Excerpts

Wednesday 9th October 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I am grateful to my noble friend for her work in this regard. I certainly share the view that there have been very rapid developments in cell and gene therapies over the past few years, and there is tremendous potential for these therapies to address the root cause of diseases and to offer life-changing outcomes for patients. So, we are working with devolved Governments and with key stakeholders to review the EU standards and requirements, and to consider our approach in light of the changes introduced by the EU SoHO regulations, which will take account of innovation within the sector.

[Baroness Manzoor (Con)]

My Lords, can the Minister say what the waiting times are for patients and clinicians who wish to use the eight therapeutic centres we have in England? Are the Government committed to providing investment in addition to the £1.5 million that NHS England announced back in February?