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 assessment they have made of the potential health impacts from electromagnetic hypersensitivity.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the GOV.UK webpage titled Electromagnetic fields: electromagnetic hypersensitivity, which for ease of reference is reproduced below.
Many studies have now been carried out on this subject, and the evidence has been reviewed by authoritative bodies, including the World Health Organization (WHO). Those reviews suggest the symptoms reported are not directly related to electromagnetic fields (EMF), which does not undermine the importance of the symptoms themselves, but does suggest other causes are more likely. The WHO review stated that: “EHS has no clear diagnostic criteria and there is no scientific basis to link EHS symptoms to EMF exposure. Treatment of affected individuals should focus on the health symptoms and the clinical picture, and not on the person’s perceived need for reducing or eliminating EMF in the workplace or home.”
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 steps they are taking to prioritise treatment for those most in need of osteoporosis care, in light of significant delays in the assessment and diagnosis of the condition.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are resources in place to help support healthcare professionals in the early diagnosis of osteoporosis, such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the risk assessment of osteoporosis (NG259) which was published in July 2026.
The Royal College of General Practitioners also has an e-learning module for general practitioners on the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis, developed in collaboration with the Royal Osteoporosis Society, which is designed to support the early diagnosis of osteoporosis by highlighting groups which are at higher risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures.
In March this year, the Government announced funding for 20 new bone density, or DEXA, scanners across England, supported by £2.6 million of investment. Tens of thousands of patients will benefit from faster access to bone scans as a result, helping to ensure that people with bone conditions, such as osteoporosis, get diagnosed earlier. This builds on the first wave of 13 DEXA scanners announced last year. In 2025, over 21,000 extra DEXA scans were delivered compared with 2024.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what risk assessments they have undertaken on the impact of hotels' rates bills increases; and how many hotels will see their rates bills rise by (1) over 20 per cent, (2) over 50 per cent, and (3) over 100 per cent.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is backing high streets with a package which means that all retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England, including hotels, will see their business rates either frozen in real terms, reduced, or cut to zero.
The Government is also undertaking a focused review of the valuation methodologies used for pubs and hotels, following concerns about whether existing approaches accurately reflect the market and are applied consistently and transparently. The review is ongoing.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made on the merits of an employer national insurance contributions holiday for those who are (1) NEET or have been NEET for more than a year, (2) under the age of 25, and (3) currently with an education, health and care plan.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Businesses can claim employer NICs reliefs for under-21s and under-25 apprentices. This means employers pay no employer NICs for apprentices under 25 or employees under 21 on earnings up to £50,270. These reliefs are estimated to have been worth around £2.5 billion in 2025/26.
The Government acknowledges that there are significant challenges for young people entering the world of work. This is why the government has announced £2.5 billion of investment in the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy over the next three years – supporting almost one million young people and helping to deliver up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn
There are a wide range of factors that the Government needs to consider when introducing new tax reliefs, for example whether these support wider Government objectives, or add disproportionate complexity into the tax system.
The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. The Chancellor will announce any changes to the tax system at fiscal events in the usual way.
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 assessment they have made of the implications for the preparation and planning for future drought and flooding events of the reduced manpower envisaged in Environment Agency’s report, EA2030 change for a better environment, published on 8 July.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) commits in its strategy EA2030 to deliver the best possible understanding of drought and flooding risks and make communities more resilient and prepared. The EA is changing its operations to manage more frequent droughts and flooding, including implementing advanced technologies and more data-driven, proactive incident responses.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have undertaken a risk assessment on the impact of (1) the rate of closures in the hospitality sector, (2) job losses in the hospitality sector, and (3) the impact of lost investment in high streets.
Answered by Lord Leong - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government recognises the vital contribution hospitality businesses make to jobs, high streets and the economy.
We keep pressures on the sector under review and are taking action to support resilience, jobs and investment. At Budget, the Chancellor announced the government is introducing a two-year real-terms freeze for all retail, hospitality and leisure properties to cap bill increases at inflation. The Government is also increasing the Small Business Rates Relief thresholds for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, taking a further 70,000 properties out of business rates altogether and meaning half of all RHL properties will pay no business rates.
We continue to engage closely with businesses and representative bodies, including through the Hospitality Sector Council, to understand the challenges facing the sector and opportunities for growth.
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 impact assessments they have completed on (1) the cost of family holidays, (2) the impact on high street footfall, (3) the availability of hospitality and tourisms jobs, and (4) the fluctuation of consumer spending as a consequence of a 5 per cent visitor levy in England; and whether they intend to publish the findings.
Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
All visitor levies will be set as a percentage of the cost of accommodation. This means that low-cost holidays will stay low. We estimate that the average family domestic holiday is 3.5 nights – suggesting a total average accommodation cost of about £400. A 1% levy on this would add £4 to the average trip. A 5% levy would add £20. The precise impacts will depend on local decisions to implement a levy. Mayors and strategic authorities will be required to undertake an impact assessment as part of their decision-making process.
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 average length of time between a Dexa scan being taken and treatment for osteoporosis starting.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There were 679,231 DEXA scans performed in 2025/26 in England. NHS England collects monthly diagnostics data, which includes the number of DEXA scans performed each month. This is published on the NHS.UK website.
Data is not held centrally by the Department or NHS England on the average length of time between a DEXA scan being taken and treatment for osteoporosis starting.
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 many Dexa scans are performed each year in England and Wales.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There were 679,231 DEXA scans performed in 2025/26 in England. NHS England collects monthly diagnostics data, which includes the number of DEXA scans performed each month. This is published on the NHS.UK website.
Data is not held centrally by the Department or NHS England on the average length of time between a DEXA scan being taken and treatment for osteoporosis starting.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on rural communities of the increase in the cost of diesel with regard to fuelling vehicles and heating homes.
Answered by Baroness Curran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that increases in diesel prices can disproportionately impact rural communities, where households and businesses often rely more heavily on road transport and, in some areas, off-grid heating fuels.
We continuously monitor developments in international and domestic fuel markets and their impacts on consumers and businesses across the UK.
To help mitigate cost pressures, the Government has frozen fuel duty since taking office and extended the 5p cut in fuel duty to 31 December. Eligible households may also receive support through the Winter Fuel Payment and Crisis and Resilience Fund.
Alongside these measures, we keep the impacts of fuel prices on rural communities under constant review.