Bread and Flour Regulations 1998

Debate between Baroness Merron and Lord Rooker

Wednesday 11th December 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Rooker]

To ask His Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Merron on 11 September (HL Deb col 1562), whether it remains their intention to lay regulations before Parliament to amend the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 in 2024.

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

My Lords, I am delighted to be able to say that, a month ago, this Government laid the legislation to introduce the mandatory fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid. We are the first European country to do so, providing pregnant women with protection for their unborn babies from neural tube defects and the devastating impact on families. I pay great tribute to my noble friend and many others in this House who have championed this momentous intervention over a number of years.

[Lord Rooker (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer. Will she formally thank the Opposition, who spent six years saying no and five years organising the consultations that have led to this decision—just a few minutes ago, I was looking at four Ministers who had answered Questions on this? I do not want to be too negative but, in the department’s extensive press release on the day it published the regulations, why was there not a single reference, even in footnotes, to the Medical Research Council’s work of 1991, which over 80 countries have already followed? Has the Secretary of State picked up the phone to talk to Nicholas Wald, the research scientist who led that work in 1991, which has been followed by so many countries and now, belatedly but welcomely, by his own country, the United Kingdom?

[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.

Food and Drink Industry: Processed Sugar

Debate between Baroness Merron and Lord Rooker

Monday 14th October 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I certainly expect that it will be hard-hitting and helpful. The committee was of course appointed to consider the role of foods, including ultra-processed foods—something which has been of great interest to noble Lords—foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar, and their impact on a healthy diet and tackling obesity. I certainly look forward to the recommendations of the report, and I hope that we can surprise the noble Baroness in a good way with our response.

[Lord Rooker (Lab)]

Can I remind my noble friend that, in 2010, when the World Health Organization held a major conference on reducing sugar, it held it in London for the very reason that the Food Standards Agency, on a voluntary basis with industry, had reduced the consumption of sugar by 50%? It was at that very time, of course, that the coalition Government removed nutrition from the Food Standards Agency and took it back behind closed doors into the Department of Health. It is time to go back to the attitude of openness and transparency on this.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I certainly agree with my noble friend that openness and transparency will take us a long way, not only in this regard but in many others.

Bread and Flour Regulations 1998

Debate between Baroness Merron and Lord Rooker

Wednesday 11th September 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Rooker]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to update the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998.

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

My Lords, although work on reviewing the Bread and Flour Regulations was paused due to the general election, I can assure my noble friend that I have picked this up as a personal priority. We have spoken to the devolved Governments about laying legislation later this year and I will update noble Lords on progress in the very near future.

[Lord Rooker (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend the Minister for her Answer. On 16 May, the previous Government said that the regulations for England would come forward in July, on the basis of an agreement with the four nations and the four Chief Medical Officers. There really should be no delay; this could be picked up, like other Bills are being picked up, and be done quite quickly. Is my noble friend aware of the Written Answer I received on 23 July, when I asked about the reform of the Bread and Flour Regulations? It said that it “could include” folic fortification. I want my noble friend to be more specific now than in that Written Answer and give a specific commitment that this Government will do the folic fortification of flour, as agreed by all the consultations and the previous Governments.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

My noble friend has been a tremendous campaigner. Indeed, he reminded me that this is, I believe, his 22nd Question on this matter, so I do not wish to test his patience. I absolutely assure him that, as he said, the policy is being taken forward as a UK-wide measure and all the necessary preliminary legislative steps have been taken, including the public consultations he mentioned, which were reported on earlier this year. Subject to renewed collective agreement in England, Defra will lay legislation later in 2024.

NHS Blood and Transplant Service: Blood Stocks

Debate between Baroness Merron and Lord Rooker

Tuesday 30th July 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Rooker (Lab)]

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, and I declare that, until my late 70s, I was a regular donor, which stopped when I met with chemotherapy.

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

My Lords, there has been an excellent response from altruistic donors since NHS Blood and Transplant issued an amber alert for O-group blood on 25 July. I thank everyone who has booked an appointment and who has already donated, because they will have helped save up to three lives each. Since Thursday, 25,000 new donors have registered, website traffic has increased almost fourfold and booked appointments have doubled. O-negative stocks have risen from 1.7 days to 2.9 days.

[Lord Rooker (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend. That Answer is excellent news, but volunteers have to be treated carefully. There are 800,000 of them. Can my noble friend tell me how many of the 25 donor clinics are open seven days a week? That is for the convenience of the donors. Secondly, why was it left until there were only 1.6 days of O-negative blood left before the alert was issued? Finally, what are the stocks of the special blood, of any group, that is required for newborn babies?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I will need to come back to my noble friend on that last question, but I assure your Lordships’ House that action was taken to increase the number of donors and the supply of the necessary blood even before the alert was announced. An alert creates better conditions, because more people come forward and rally. I thank them very much for that. On the donor centres, it is possible, of course, to give blood every day of the year apart from Christmas Day.