Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what urgent steps they intend to take to reduce the incidence of injuries and deaths caused by e-bikes and e-scooters.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
While no assessment of the cost of injuries or deaths caused by in e-bikes and e-scooters has been made, riders of such vehicles should, like all road users, comply with the Highway Code and ride in a safe and responsible manner.
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduced new offences for cyclists, including e-bikes riders, who cause the death or serious injury of another person, with penalties for those offences brought into line with those for motorists.
The Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, including e-scooters, when parliamentary time allows.
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 cost of deaths and injuries caused by e-bikes and e-scooters in each of the last three years; and what steps they intend to take to reduce these costs and make riders of e-bikes and e-scooters more responsible for their actions.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
While no assessment of the cost of injuries or deaths caused by in e-bikes and e-scooters has been made, riders of such vehicles should, like all road users, comply with the Highway Code and ride in a safe and responsible manner.
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduced new offences for cyclists, including e-bikes riders, who cause the death or serious injury of another person, with penalties for those offences brought into line with those for motorists.
The Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, including e-scooters, when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the status of the new Treasury offices being built in Darlington; and whether Treasury officials planned to be based there will be relocated to Manchester.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The new hub building in Darlington is being delivered by the Government Property Agency and is currently under construction. Once complete in early 2028, it will be the home of more than 1600 civil servants from across multiple departments, including HM Treasury.
HM Treasury’s commitment to at least 335 staff being based in Darlington remains in place, as does the commitment to Darlington being HMT’s second headquarters.
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 compatibility of their clean energy plans with protection of nature and the environment, in light of their reported (1) environmental impacts, and (2) flammability and combustibility risks.
Answered by Baroness Curran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government believes that the accelerated rollout of clean energy generation is compatible with protection of the natural environment.
All energy proposals are subject to a rigorous planning process, in which the views and interests of local communities are considered. This includes any impact on biodiversity, the environment, and fire risk.
Project developers typically must complete an Environmental Statement (ES) as part of any application. The ES requires developers to consider all potential impacts throughout a project’s life from pre-development to construction, operation, and decommissioning.
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 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 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 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.