Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the insurability of homes built on floodplains since 2009.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The availability of insurance is determined on a case-by-case basis by insurers, but the Government engages with the industry on a regular basis through the Flood Resilience Taskforce.
Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new NPPF, including proposals in a new standalone chapter dedicated to managing flood risk and coastal change. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they conducted a health impact equality assessment before awarding the Meningitis B vaccination programme to community pharmacies.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In developing vaccination policy, the Department has due regard to its duties under the Public Sector Equality Duty. Consideration of equality and health inequalities impacts are undertaken as part of the development, implementation, and review of vaccination programmes. In developing the policy on this urgent meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination programme, the Department had due regard to its duties under the Public Sector Equality Duty.
The operational delivery of vaccinations is led by NHS England, including the providers commissioned to deliver the vaccination programme. An Equality Health Impact Assessment is being developed by NHS England to support in the identification and mitigation of inequalities in access and outcomes as relates to the rollout of this MenB programme.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to maximise the uptake of Meningitis B vaccinations among university students living in rural areas ahead of the start of the academic year.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Getting two doses of the meningitis B vaccine before the autumn term is one of the most important things young people can do to protect themselves from meningitis B disease.
The UK Health Security Agency has produced a wide range of materials to inform young people of the offer and to support informed consent. We are working closely with cross-Government colleagues and partners, including those in the university and further education sectors, and with stakeholders to ensure that information on eligibility and access to vaccination in each of the four nations is available to all eligible young people, including those living in rural areas, ahead of the autumn term. Information will be shared via direct communications, social media platforms, and other routes.
NHS England will continually monitor community pharmacy sign up and will work with regional teams to consider supplementary offers where geographical gaps are identified.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government who they intend to administer Meningitis B vaccines in rural areas where no community pharmacies exist.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Vaccinations will primarily be offered in community pharmacies, providing flexibility for the mobile student population who may move to a new area between doses.
To support access in all areas, NHS England regional teams will also be supported to commission appropriate supplementary providers in their area where needed to ensure that everyone who is eligible can get vaccinated.
The first dose will be available until 31 December 2026 and the second dose until 31 March 2027. The appointment window remains open beyond summer to allow for as many of those eligible as possible to get vaccinated, but the strong recommendation is to have the vaccine in July and August.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the total cost of injuries caused by e-bikes and e-scooters in each of the past three years for which figures are available.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Statistics on road collisions and casualties are published on the government site which include data on the overall cost of prevention of road casualties and collisions. However, the published figures do not provide a breakdown of the costs attributable to a particular vehicle type.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the pathway to treatment for a patient diagnosed with osteoporosis.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We would expect healthcare professionals to follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical knowledge summary on osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures. The clinical knowledge summary outlines the steps that healthcare professionals should take in the assessment and management of osteoporosis.
A diagnosis of osteoporosis is made following clinical assessment and in some cases by use of blood tests and DEXA scans. The National Health Service does not provide universal osteoporosis screening, instead, a targeted approach is used to identify those most likely to benefit from assessment and treatment. Tools like FRAX are recommended to calculate 10-year fracture risk and guide clinical decisions. A DEXA scan can also be used to measure bone mineral density.
There are a number of NICE recommended treatments for osteoporosis. Since 2022, two new drugs have been recommended by NICE for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women, abaloparatide and romosozumab. These medications help to strengthen the bones and prevent bone loss, reducing the risk of fractures.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards their target of ensuring that 50 per cent of publicly procured food is either from local producers in the UK or from suppliers certified to higher environmental standards.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has already published a new national procurement policy statement which sets expectations for government contracts to favour products certified to high environmental standards that British producers are well-placed to meet.
Data collection on the extent to which public sector settings are serving food from local sustainable sources is currently underway. We expect the work to be completed by Summer 2027.
Defra is considering the policy options available to deliver further on its ambitions for public sector food, including potentially updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of food supplied in (1) schools, (2) prisons, (3) military establishments, and (4) hospitals, is produced in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We do not currently have access to sufficient data on the proportion of UK-produced food that is purchased across the public sector to produce reliable sector-specific estimates. However, we are carrying out further research to improve the quality, coverage, and understanding of this data and expect to conclude in summer 2027. The findings will inform future policy development, including how we might improve data collection and monitoring arrangements for public sector food procurement, increasing transparency and supporting opportunities for British farmers to benefit from public sector contracts.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) fines have been issued, (2) prosecutions made in the last six months following breaches of the Road Traffic Act 1988 by cyclists; and what plans they have, if any, to keep this under review.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The collection of data on prosecutions is a matter for the Ministry of Justice, and they hold information up to December 2025. Therefore, no information is available for the last six months.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to reduce the funding gap in income for farmers between the reduction in the basic payment scheme for farms, and the move to environmental land management schemes.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.
Defra is winding down subsidy payments that do not provide returns on investment. It is targeting public money where it delivers most value, the foundations of long-term food security: healthy soils, clean water, thriving ecosystems.
There are now 50,000 farm businesses and half of all farmed land now managed under Defra schemes, with more money being spent through these schemes than at any point.
Defra has reformed the Sustainable Farming Incentive to ensure more farmers can access funding. The first application window, for small farms and also farms without existing Environmental Land Management revenue agreements, opened on 30 June.