Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the written answer by Lord Markham of 17 May (HL4521), whether the recommended limit of 30g a day of fat contained in the Eatwell Guide is also based on the Committee on Medical Aspects of Nutrition Policy (COMA) 1994 report, and if so whether the guidance should be updated in the light of further, more up-to-date research.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government’s dietary recommendations are based on robust assessments of the scientific evidence by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and its predecessor, the Committee on Medical Aspects of Nutrition Policy (COMA). The Government’s advice on a healthy, balanced diet is encapsulated in the United Kingdom’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide.

The current Government dietary recommendation is that the total fat intake of the population should not exceed 35% of total energy from food. This would equate to a total fat intake of no more than 78 grams a day for women and 97 grams a day for men, based on a total daily calorie intake of 2000 kilocalories a day for women and 2500 kilocalories a day for men aged 19 to 64 years old.

This recommendation is based on evidence outlined by the COMA in its 1991 report, Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom, a copy of which has been placed in the House of Lords Library, due to the document size. This is further supported by recommendations made to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in the COMA’s 1994 report, Nutritional Aspects of Cardiovascular Disease, a copy of has also been placed in the House of Lords Library, due to the size of the document.

Recommendations on saturated fat were updated in SACN’s 2019 report, Saturated fats and health, a copy of which is attached, which recommended that the dietary reference value for saturated fats remains unchanged, specifically that the populations average contribution of saturated fatty acids to total dietary energy be reduced to no more than about 10%. This recommendation applies to adults and children aged five years old and older. The report also recommended that saturated fats are substituted with unsaturated fats. It was noted that more evidence is available supporting substitution with polyunsaturated fats than substitution with monounsaturated fats.

It was noted that ‘this recommendation is made in the context of existing UK Government recommendations for macronutrients and energy’. The Eatwell Guide recommends that the average man should have no more than 30 grams of saturated fat a day and the average woman should have no more than 20 grams of saturated fat a day.

At its horizon scan meeting in June 2022, the SACN considered a paper on a potential approach to any future work on other fatty acids. The SACN agreed that omega-3 fatty acids were an area of high priority, particularly because of the recent evidence questioning the potential benefits of fish oils for some outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease. Members agreed to keep a review of omega-3 fatty acids as a high priority on the watching brief.

The SACN considered this again at its horizon scan meeting on 9 October 2024 and agreed to add omega-3 fatty acids to the SACN’s work programme when capacity allows. The meeting papers for the horizon scan meetings are available on the SACN webpage, in an online only format.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to prevent children being exposed to pornography.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Online Safety Act imposes duties on user-to-user services and publishers of pornography to prevent children encountering pornographic content online using highly effective age assurance.

Ofcom can enforce duties on publishers of pornography from early 2025. The duties for user-to-user services will come into effect by summer 2025.

Additionally, the Independent Pornography Review will assess the effectiveness of pornography legislation, regulation and enforcement. We expect that the independent review will finalise its recommendations in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to tackle the harms of pornography.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Online Safety Act imposes duties on user-to-user services and publishers of pornography to prevent children encountering pornographic content online using highly effective age assurance.

Ofcom can enforce duties on publishers of pornography from early 2025. The duties for user-to-user services will come into effect by summer 2025.

Additionally, the Independent Pornography Review will assess the effectiveness of pornography legislation, regulation and enforcement. We expect that the independent review will finalise its recommendations in the coming months.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce demand for trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government will treat it as the national emergency that it is, with a commitment to halve violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published next year.

The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through law enforcement operational intensifications aimed at tackling modern slavery threats, and targeting prolific perpetrators.

We have several ways to estimate the scale of sexual exploitation. Victims of sexual exploitation make up a significant proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to appropriate support). The most recent statistics show that between July to September 2024, sexual exploitation (either partly or wholly) accounted for 17% (697) of all referrals sent to police forces in England and Wales for investigation. Of these, the majority were for females (76%; 528).

Available academic research on prostitution highlights the challenges in estimating prevalence. Research conducted by the University of Bristol focusing on England and Wales was unable to identify a single prevalence estimate. However, it assessed a number of existing national estimates made over the last 20 years which ranged from 35,882 to 104,964, across England and Wales.

Online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment.

The Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract provides support to adult potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery in England and Wales. This support includes financial support and a support worker to help them access wider services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice.

The Government will continue to keep policies to tackle sexual exploitation under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scale of commercial sexual exploitation in England and Wales.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government will treat it as the national emergency that it is, with a commitment to halve violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published next year.

The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through law enforcement operational intensifications aimed at tackling modern slavery threats, and targeting prolific perpetrators.

We have several ways to estimate the scale of sexual exploitation. Victims of sexual exploitation make up a significant proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to appropriate support). The most recent statistics show that between July to September 2024, sexual exploitation (either partly or wholly) accounted for 17% (697) of all referrals sent to police forces in England and Wales for investigation. Of these, the majority were for females (76%; 528).

Available academic research on prostitution highlights the challenges in estimating prevalence. Research conducted by the University of Bristol focusing on England and Wales was unable to identify a single prevalence estimate. However, it assessed a number of existing national estimates made over the last 20 years which ranged from 35,882 to 104,964, across England and Wales.

Online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment.

The Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract provides support to adult potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery in England and Wales. This support includes financial support and a support worker to help them access wider services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice.

The Government will continue to keep policies to tackle sexual exploitation under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they provide to help victims of sexual exploitation exit prostitution.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government will treat it as the national emergency that it is, with a commitment to halve violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published next year.

The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through law enforcement operational intensifications aimed at tackling modern slavery threats, and targeting prolific perpetrators.

We have several ways to estimate the scale of sexual exploitation. Victims of sexual exploitation make up a significant proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to appropriate support). The most recent statistics show that between July to September 2024, sexual exploitation (either partly or wholly) accounted for 17% (697) of all referrals sent to police forces in England and Wales for investigation. Of these, the majority were for females (76%; 528).

Available academic research on prostitution highlights the challenges in estimating prevalence. Research conducted by the University of Bristol focusing on England and Wales was unable to identify a single prevalence estimate. However, it assessed a number of existing national estimates made over the last 20 years which ranged from 35,882 to 104,964, across England and Wales.

Online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment.

The Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract provides support to adult potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery in England and Wales. This support includes financial support and a support worker to help them access wider services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice.

The Government will continue to keep policies to tackle sexual exploitation under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to prevent organised crime groups advertising victims of trafficking and other sexual exploitation offences on websites advertising prostitution.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government will treat it as the national emergency that it is, with a commitment to halve violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published next year.

The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through law enforcement operational intensifications aimed at tackling modern slavery threats, and targeting prolific perpetrators.

We have several ways to estimate the scale of sexual exploitation. Victims of sexual exploitation make up a significant proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to appropriate support). The most recent statistics show that between July to September 2024, sexual exploitation (either partly or wholly) accounted for 17% (697) of all referrals sent to police forces in England and Wales for investigation. Of these, the majority were for females (76%; 528).

Available academic research on prostitution highlights the challenges in estimating prevalence. Research conducted by the University of Bristol focusing on England and Wales was unable to identify a single prevalence estimate. However, it assessed a number of existing national estimates made over the last 20 years which ranged from 35,882 to 104,964, across England and Wales.

Online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment.

The Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract provides support to adult potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery in England and Wales. This support includes financial support and a support worker to help them access wider services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice.

The Government will continue to keep policies to tackle sexual exploitation under review.