Lord Rennard Portrait

Lord Rennard

Liberal Democrat - Life peer

Joined House of Lords: 21st July 1999


Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee
4th Jun 2020 - 13th Jun 2020
Political Polling and Digital Media Committee
29th Jun 2017 - 20th Mar 2018
Information Committee (Lords)
25th Nov 2009 - 14th May 2014
Constitution Committee
19th Jan 2011 - 1st May 2012


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Lord Rennard has voted in 122 divisions, and 5 times against the majority of their Party.

11 Mar 2026 - Crime and Policing Bill - View Vote Context
Lord Rennard voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Non-affiliated No votes vs 12 Non-affiliated Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 227 Noes - 221
18 Mar 2026 - Crime and Policing Bill - View Vote Context
Lord Rennard voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 2 Non-affiliated Aye votes vs 2 Non-affiliated No votes
Tally: Ayes - 69 Noes - 83
13 Apr 2026 - English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill - View Vote Context
Lord Rennard voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 3 Non-affiliated Aye votes vs 4 Non-affiliated No votes
Tally: Ayes - 65 Noes - 173
13 Apr 2026 - English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill - View Vote Context
Lord Rennard voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 3 Non-affiliated Aye votes vs 9 Non-affiliated No votes
Tally: Ayes - 69 Noes - 332
15 Apr 2026 - Victims and Courts Bill - View Vote Context
Lord Rennard voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 7 Non-affiliated No votes vs 8 Non-affiliated Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 209 Noes - 260
View All Lord Rennard Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Labour)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
(16 debate interactions)
Baroness Merron (Labour)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
(14 debate interactions)
Lord Khan of Burnley (Labour)
(8 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department of Health and Social Care
(28 debate contributions)
Leader of the House
(4 debate contributions)
Ministry of Justice
(4 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Lord Rennard's debates

Lords initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Lord Rennard, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.


Lord Rennard has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Lord Rennard has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
7th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need to scrutinise claims for Public Duty Costs Allowance.

The Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA) was introduced to assist former Prime Ministers still active in public life. Payments are made only to meet the actual cost of continuing to fulfil public duties. The PDCA was exceptionally extended to the former Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg from 2015-2019. No other former Deputy Prime Ministers claim the allowance.

The costs are a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary administrative costs arising from their special position in public life for example managing an office (staffing and administration costs); handling correspondence as a former Prime Minister; and support with visits and similar activities. The level of the limit is reviewed by the Prime Minister at the start of a Parliament and annually. Invoices are submitted to the Cabinet Office to cover relevant office and salary costs. PDCA claims are also subject to an annual audit by the National Audit Office.

The Cabinet Office does not hold a comprehensive record of claims made against the PDCA going back to 1991 when the allowance was established. However, I would refer the noble Lord to a written answer provided to him on 6 December 2022 by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, then Minister of State, (reference HL3763) which provides details of historical claims of PDCA.

Details of PDCA claims have been published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) since 2013-14. The written answer referred to above includes details of claims up to the financial year 2021-22. Details of claims for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24 are set out in Table 1 below, and can also be found in the relevant ARAs.

Table 1

2022-23

2023-24

The Rt Hon. Sir John Major

115,000

115,000

The Rt Hon. Sir Tony Blair

115,000

115,000

The Rt Hon. Gordon Brown

114,627

114,788

The Rt Hon. Lord David Cameron

108,312

68,546

The Rt Hon. Lady Theresa May

113,422

113,475

The Rt Hon. Liz Truss

23,310

101,332

The Rt Hon. Boris Johnson

-

182,083

Total PDCA

617,667

836,345

In relation to the data provided in Table 1, it should be noted that The Rt Hon Lord David Cameron stopped receiving the allowance when he was appointed the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 13 November 2023. The Rt Hon Boris Johnson was eligible to claim the Public Duty Cost Allowance, however no claims were received in 2022 to 2023. Due to 2022 to 2023 being the first year of set up, the Cabinet Office has agreed to reimburse these costs in 2023 to 2024. All future office costs are to be claimed in-year with claims received by 31 March. 2022 to 2023 office costs amounted to £67,083.

Details of the financial year 2024/25 will be published in the next Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that claims by former Prime Ministers and Deputy Prime Minister through the Public Duty Costs Allowance are not used to fund income-generating projects.

The Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA) was introduced to assist former Prime Ministers still active in public life. Payments are made only to meet the actual cost of continuing to fulfil public duties. The PDCA was exceptionally extended to the former Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg from 2015-2019. No other former Deputy Prime Ministers claim the allowance.

The costs are a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary administrative costs arising from their special position in public life for example managing an office (staffing and administration costs); handling correspondence as a former Prime Minister; and support with visits and similar activities. The level of the limit is reviewed by the Prime Minister at the start of a Parliament and annually. Invoices are submitted to the Cabinet Office to cover relevant office and salary costs. PDCA claims are also subject to an annual audit by the National Audit Office.

The Cabinet Office does not hold a comprehensive record of claims made against the PDCA going back to 1991 when the allowance was established. However, I would refer the noble Lord to a written answer provided to him on 6 December 2022 by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, then Minister of State, (reference HL3763) which provides details of historical claims of PDCA.

Details of PDCA claims have been published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) since 2013-14. The written answer referred to above includes details of claims up to the financial year 2021-22. Details of claims for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24 are set out in Table 1 below, and can also be found in the relevant ARAs.

Table 1

2022-23

2023-24

The Rt Hon. Sir John Major

115,000

115,000

The Rt Hon. Sir Tony Blair

115,000

115,000

The Rt Hon. Gordon Brown

114,627

114,788

The Rt Hon. Lord David Cameron

108,312

68,546

The Rt Hon. Lady Theresa May

113,422

113,475

The Rt Hon. Liz Truss

23,310

101,332

The Rt Hon. Boris Johnson

-

182,083

Total PDCA

617,667

836,345

In relation to the data provided in Table 1, it should be noted that The Rt Hon Lord David Cameron stopped receiving the allowance when he was appointed the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 13 November 2023. The Rt Hon Boris Johnson was eligible to claim the Public Duty Cost Allowance, however no claims were received in 2022 to 2023. Due to 2022 to 2023 being the first year of set up, the Cabinet Office has agreed to reimburse these costs in 2023 to 2024. All future office costs are to be claimed in-year with claims received by 31 March. 2022 to 2023 office costs amounted to £67,083.

Details of the financial year 2024/25 will be published in the next Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government how much has been paid through the Public Duty Costs Allowance since its inception to (1) each former Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, and (2) in total.

The Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA) was introduced to assist former Prime Ministers still active in public life. Payments are made only to meet the actual cost of continuing to fulfil public duties. The PDCA was exceptionally extended to the former Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg from 2015-2019. No other former Deputy Prime Ministers claim the allowance.

The costs are a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary administrative costs arising from their special position in public life for example managing an office (staffing and administration costs); handling correspondence as a former Prime Minister; and support with visits and similar activities. The level of the limit is reviewed by the Prime Minister at the start of a Parliament and annually. Invoices are submitted to the Cabinet Office to cover relevant office and salary costs. PDCA claims are also subject to an annual audit by the National Audit Office.

The Cabinet Office does not hold a comprehensive record of claims made against the PDCA going back to 1991 when the allowance was established. However, I would refer the noble Lord to a written answer provided to him on 6 December 2022 by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, then Minister of State, (reference HL3763) which provides details of historical claims of PDCA.

Details of PDCA claims have been published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) since 2013-14. The written answer referred to above includes details of claims up to the financial year 2021-22. Details of claims for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24 are set out in Table 1 below, and can also be found in the relevant ARAs.

Table 1

2022-23

2023-24

The Rt Hon. Sir John Major

115,000

115,000

The Rt Hon. Sir Tony Blair

115,000

115,000

The Rt Hon. Gordon Brown

114,627

114,788

The Rt Hon. Lord David Cameron

108,312

68,546

The Rt Hon. Lady Theresa May

113,422

113,475

The Rt Hon. Liz Truss

23,310

101,332

The Rt Hon. Boris Johnson

-

182,083

Total PDCA

617,667

836,345

In relation to the data provided in Table 1, it should be noted that The Rt Hon Lord David Cameron stopped receiving the allowance when he was appointed the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 13 November 2023. The Rt Hon Boris Johnson was eligible to claim the Public Duty Cost Allowance, however no claims were received in 2022 to 2023. Due to 2022 to 2023 being the first year of set up, the Cabinet Office has agreed to reimburse these costs in 2023 to 2024. All future office costs are to be claimed in-year with claims received by 31 March. 2022 to 2023 office costs amounted to £67,083.

Details of the financial year 2024/25 will be published in the next Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what they consider the public duties of former Prime Ministers to be in relation to the Public Duty Cost Allowance; and what plans they have to review the Public Duty Cost Allowance to increase transparency.

The Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA) was introduced to assist former Prime Ministers still active in public life. Payments are made only to meet the actual cost of continuing to fulfil public duties. The PDCA was exceptionally extended to the former Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg from 2015-2019. No other former Deputy Prime Ministers claim the allowance.

The costs are a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary administrative costs arising from their special position in public life for example managing an office (staffing and administration costs); handling correspondence as a former Prime Minister; and support with visits and similar activities. The level of the limit is reviewed by the Prime Minister at the start of a Parliament and annually. Invoices are submitted to the Cabinet Office to cover relevant office and salary costs. PDCA claims are also subject to an annual audit by the National Audit Office.

The Cabinet Office does not hold a comprehensive record of claims made against the PDCA going back to 1991 when the allowance was established. However, I would refer the noble Lord to a written answer provided to him on 6 December 2022 by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, then Minister of State, (reference HL3763) which provides details of historical claims of PDCA.

Details of PDCA claims have been published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) since 2013-14. The written answer referred to above includes details of claims up to the financial year 2021-22. Details of claims for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24 are set out in Table 1 below, and can also be found in the relevant ARAs.

Table 1

2022-23

2023-24

The Rt Hon. Sir John Major

115,000

115,000

The Rt Hon. Sir Tony Blair

115,000

115,000

The Rt Hon. Gordon Brown

114,627

114,788

The Rt Hon. Lord David Cameron

108,312

68,546

The Rt Hon. Lady Theresa May

113,422

113,475

The Rt Hon. Liz Truss

23,310

101,332

The Rt Hon. Boris Johnson

-

182,083

Total PDCA

617,667

836,345

In relation to the data provided in Table 1, it should be noted that The Rt Hon Lord David Cameron stopped receiving the allowance when he was appointed the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 13 November 2023. The Rt Hon Boris Johnson was eligible to claim the Public Duty Cost Allowance, however no claims were received in 2022 to 2023. Due to 2022 to 2023 being the first year of set up, the Cabinet Office has agreed to reimburse these costs in 2023 to 2024. All future office costs are to be claimed in-year with claims received by 31 March. 2022 to 2023 office costs amounted to £67,083.

Details of the financial year 2024/25 will be published in the next Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
19th Jul 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 23 October 2023 (HL10740), how the National Audit Office, in assessing the use of the Public Costs Duty Allowance (PCDA) for audit purposes, distinguishes between the costs of paying staff, travel, and accommodation expenses, incurred (1) as a result of political and commercial projects, including political activity overseas, and (2) costs which arise wholly and exclusively as a result of being an ex-Prime Minister, excluding commercial or political activities; and what consideration they have given to publishing a summary of PCDA claims showing different categories of expenditure on a regular basis.

The National Audit Office is independent of the government.

Former Prime Ministers submit invoices to the Cabinet Office setting out their claims. This information is used by the Cabinet Office for auditing and assurance purposes and is made available to NAO.

Most of the claims are used to cover the salaries of the staff that work in the offices of the former Prime Ministers. These staff are not civil servants, and it would therefore not be appropriate for the Cabinet Office to publish any further detail.

Baroness Twycross
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
18th Jul 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether visits to the Republican Convention by former Prime Ministers could qualify for expenditure under the Public Duty Costs Allowance; and what further information they can provide on claims made under the scheme.

The Public Duty Cost Allowance (PDCA) is not paid to support private duties, nor is it used for security purposes.

Further details about the PDCA are on gov.uk at the following web link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-duty-cost-allowance.

Annual payments are published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts. The most recent report is available on gov.uk at the following web link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-23.

Baroness Twycross
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
21st May 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the consequences for (1) the economies of England and Wales and (2) local economies resulting from the 6-percent levy on foreign students' tuition fees, proposed in Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May.

The immigration white paper sets out a series of measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, while maintaining the UK’s globally competitive offer to international students and making a significant contribution to growth by boosting our skills base.

This includes the commitment to explore the introduction of a levy on higher education (HE) provider income from international students, with proceeds to be reinvested in the domestic HE and skills system. The department will set out more details around the levy in the Autumn Budget.

Analysis of the potential impacts is based on the levy applying to English HE providers only. The department will fully consult all the devolved governments on the implementation of the international student levy.

Baroness Smith of Malvern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to consult higher education institutions on the 6 per cent levy on foreign students' tuition fees, proposed in Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May.

The immigration white paper sets out a series of measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, while maintaining the UK’s globally competitive offer to international students and making a significant contribution to growth by boosting our skills base.

This includes the commitment to explore the introduction of a levy on higher education (HE) provider income from international students, with proceeds to be reinvested in the domestic HE and skills system. The department will set out more details around the levy in the Autumn Budget.

Analysis of the potential impacts is based on the levy applying to English HE providers only. The department will fully consult all the devolved governments on the implementation of the international student levy.

Baroness Smith of Malvern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the consequences to higher education institutions of the applying the 6 per cent levy on foreign students' tuition fees, proposed in Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May, to courses of less than six months.

The immigration white paper sets out a series of measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, while maintaining the UK’s globally competitive offer to international students and making a significant contribution to growth by boosting our skills base.

This includes the commitment to explore the introduction of a levy on higher education (HE) provider income from international students, with proceeds to be reinvested in the domestic HE and skills system. The department will set out more details around the levy in the Autumn Budget.

Analysis of the potential impacts is based on the levy applying to English HE providers only. The department will fully consult all the devolved governments on the implementation of the international student levy.

Baroness Smith of Malvern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st May 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial implications to higher education institutions of the 6 per cent levy on foreign students' tuition fees, proposed in Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May.

The immigration white paper sets out a series of measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, while maintaining the UK’s globally competitive offer to international students and making a significant contribution to growth by boosting our skills base.

This includes the commitment to explore the introduction of a levy on higher education (HE) provider income from international students, with proceeds to be reinvested in the domestic HE and skills system. The department will set out more details around the levy in the Autumn Budget.

Analysis of the potential impacts is based on the levy applying to English HE providers only. The department will fully consult all the devolved governments on the implementation of the international student levy.

Baroness Smith of Malvern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Oct 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the mixed use railways team at Network Rail is being dissolved; and if so, what assessment they have made on the impact of that dissolution on the ability of light rail vehicles to operate on parts of the main line rail network.

Network Rail’s regional teams lead on the development of projects, including light rail proposals. Network Rail has light rail expertise centrally that supports the regions in the operation, design and implementation of light rail projects. The required resource level of this team will be reviewed as the project pipeline develops.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
20th Oct 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of expanding local rail services to local economies, and of increasing rail services into cities to reduce road congestion, improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions.

Assessments of the benefits of expanding local rail services to local economies, and of increasing rail services into cities, are assessed on a case-by-case basis to reflect local economic conditions, using Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG).

Expanded local rail services can help drive local economic growth by opening up new development opportunities, unlocking housing, reducing costs for businesses and supporting people into work. TAG is used to assess the wider benefits of rail interventions including reduced road congestion, improved air quality and reduced carbon emissions.

The Government recognises the crucial role rail plays in delivering these benefits and is backing rail with the funding needed. The 2025 spending review committed £10.2 billion provided for rail enhancements in the period over the next four years.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
14th Nov 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any people with disabilities applying to the Access for Work scheme have been waiting nine months or more for their assessment; why the time needed for an assessment to the Access to Work scheme rose from an average of 56.9 days for the period April 2024–February 2025 to 84.6 days in February 2025; what plans they have to reduce the waiting time for such assessments; and what are the implications for challenging willingness to work.

Access to Work (AtW) provision data is provided at Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2025 - GOV.UK, and relates to approvals and payments. The data details the number of people who have had AtW provision approved, the number of people who received at least one AtW payment, AtW expenditure and the annual payment per customer for AtW provision. It is broken down into several categories including financial year, type of provision, primary medical condition, region and others. At present, data on waiting times for assessments is not published.

Increased waiting times reflect growing demand for the AtW scheme. We are committed to reducing waiting times for claims. We have streamlined delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. We also prioritise customers starting a job in four weeks, or those whose existing grant requires renewal.

The Pathways to Work Green Paper launched a consultation on the future of Access to Work which has now concluded. We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course.

Baroness Sherlock
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
15th Jun 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to the National Health Service of treating conditions caused or exacerbated by tobacco, alcohol and drug use.

The following table shows the available estimates of the cost to the National Health Service of treating conditions caused and exacerbated by tobacco and alcohol:

Substance

Estimated NHS cost

Source of Estimate

Tobacco

£1.8 billion annually

Action on Smoking and Health, 2025

Alcohol

£4.9 billion annually

Institute of Alcohol Studies, 2021/22


Comparisons of costs should not be made between estimates above because of the different methodologies used in their construction.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
15th Jun 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any regional variation in access to drug, alcohol and smoking cessation services.

The Government is committed to ensuring all areas offer high-quality drug, alcohol, and smoking cessation services, with action to support consistent provision nationwide.

For smoking, we have invested an additional £70 million in both 2024/25 and 2025/26 to support local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England to help people quit. From April 2026, we have provided an additional £260 million over three years, from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and ring-fenced all funding for smoking cessation services within the Public Health Grant, meaning at least £153 million per annum is protected for these services. This will ensure there is a comprehensive offer across local authorities in England and that there is more equitable funding across all regions. The additional funding is weighted toward local authorities with the highest smoking rates to ensure we target areas with the greatest need. We have also has launched a Self-Assessment and Service Improvement Tool to support local authorities to strengthen Stop Smoking Services delivery and improvement, and ensure a minimum standard of service.

For drugs and alcohol, the Department continues to work with all local areas to address unmet need to drive improvements in continuity of care. This includes the Unmet Need Toolkit which can be used by local areas to assess local need and plan to meet it. From 2026, all drug and alcohol treatment and recovery funding is through the Public Health Grant, with £3.4 billion ringfenced for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery over three years. One of the conditions of the Public Health Grant is that all local authorities that receive the grant work with partners to develop a plan to address drug and alcohol need in their community, and this plan is agreed with the Department.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
15th Jun 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce health inequalities arising from substance misuse.

The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need. Funding for drug and alcohol treatment can reduce societal inequalities and contribute to the Government’s mission to increase opportunity for all.

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning community alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services as part of their public health responsibilities. Over the next three years, through the Public Health Grant, we are providing local authorities with £3.4 billion of ringfenced funding for drug and alcohol prevention, treatment, and recovery. Conditions of the Public Health Grant include that local authorities use the funding solely for the purposes of commissioning and providing drug and alcohol services, and they have a comprehensive plan based on the assessment of local need and which has been developed with local health, housing, employment, children and families, and criminal justice partners.

The Department delivers a robust monitoring and assurance programme, and quality improvement interventions, for local authorities commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services. The number of adults in treatment is now the highest since reporting began, with latest annual statistics showing that between April 2024 and March 2025 there were 329,646 adults aged 18 years old and over in contact with community drug and alcohol treatment services.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
9th Jun 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Cheshire West and Chester Council framework for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, who is responsible for determining whether a person who lacks mental capacity is validly consenting to their care placement; whether that determination rests with the managing authority of the care setting rather than an independent qualified professional such as a social worker, approved mental health professional, or best interests assessor; and, if so, what safeguards exist to prevent the recurrence of the conditions that led to the abuse scandal at Winterbourne View Hospital.

The Government remains firmly committed to safeguarding and protecting the rights of people lacking capacity.

As seen in the attached document, The Department published an update on GOV.UK on 15 June in response to the judgement. The update includes initial steers on what the judgment means, including for the assessment of valid consent, for practitioners and all those involved in supporting individuals where is a deprivation of liberty. We are working with a range of stakeholder partners and charities to develop follow-up guidance as quickly as possible.

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are one of several ways that United Kingdom legislation protects people’s rights. Since Winterborne, the Care Act 2014 was implemented and provides explicit safeguards for adults with care and support needs.

As recommended by Baroness Casey, we are working at pace to set up a new National Adult Safeguarding Board to strengthen national oversight and accountability of the safeguarding system and to and to undertake a review of adult safeguarding statutory duties and powers.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
3rd Jun 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue interim guidance to local authorities and health and care providers following the Supreme Court ruling that removes the Cheshire West framework for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards; and what timeline they have set, if any, for bringing forward new legislation to restore independent oversight of care arrangements for people who lack mental capacity.

The Department will produce guidance to assist with the implications of this ruling. We are working with a range of stakeholder partners and charities to develop the guidance as quickly as possible. Public bodies, including the National Health Service and local authorities, should be alert to emerging guidance and be prepared to update local practice promptly.

There are currently no plans to bring forward new legislation to restore independent oversight of care arrangements for people who lack mental capacity. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards are one of several ways that United Kingdom legislation protects people’s rights. The Care Act 2014 provides explicit safeguards for adults with care and support needs. Section 5 of the Care Act 2014 states that local authorities must ensure that the services they commission are safe, effective, and of high quality.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
3rd Jun 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people who will lose access to independent reviews and advocacy as a result of the Supreme Court ruling removing the Cheshire West Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards framework; and what assessment they have made of the risk of increased abuse and neglect in closed care settings as a consequence.

The Government remains firmly committed to safeguarding and protecting the rights of people lacking capacity. The deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS) will continue to apply in line with changes required by the Supreme Court judgment. This includes the right to independent reviews and advocacy where appropriate.

The Department published an update on GOV.UK on 15 June in response to the judgement, a copy of which is attached. The update includes initial steers on what the judgment means, including for valid consent, for practitioners and all those involved in supporting individuals where is a deprivation of liberty. We are working with a range of stakeholder partners and charities to develop follow-up guidance as quickly as possible. The update is attached below.

Individuals receiving care and support who are not subject to DoLS can also access independent reviews and advocacy where appropriate under a range of other safeguards available, including the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Care Act 2014.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) undertakes independent oversight of these safeguards, including DoLS, and will continue to do so in light of the Supreme Court judgment. As part of their inspection regime, CQC checks that care settings and providers have effective systems to help keep adults safe from abuse and neglect, including those subject to DoLS and those not subject to DoLS.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
20th Oct 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that older adults with type 1 diabetes retain access to essential technologies upon entering residential care, and whether they will introduce statutory training and regulatory standards to support safe, consistent and dignified diabetes management in those settings.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for implementing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines and technology appraisals relating to diabetes care and access to diabetes technologies. NHS England supports ICBs by providing supportive funding, data, policy levers, and clinical leadership at national level. Locally, support for people with type 1 diabetes to access and use diabetes technology is provided by diabetes specialists, general practices, and community diabetes teams. Clinical care and support for people in residential care is locally organised.

All health and social care providers must comply with the fundamental standards set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. These include requirements that the care provided be centred on the needs of the individual and that providers employ enough suitably qualified, competent, and experienced staff to ensure standards are met.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
15th Sep 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government whether NHS England plans to add a mental health assessment as an annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes.

The National Diabetes Audit is the primary mechanism for collecting data in England on the care and outcomes of people living with diabetes, helping to inform healthcare practice and policy.

The National Diabetes Audit could serve as a registry for type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) in the future. An agreed definition of T1DE supported by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be important to enable diagnosis, data recording, and establishing data collection processes.

NHS England works closely with NICE to understand emerging areas for consideration in national guidance and has committed to sharing the current pilot site evaluation outcomes, when available, with NICE to ensure findings are considered in the development of future guidance.

The National Health Service does not currently have any plans to introduce a mental health assessment to the annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes or to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to provide emotional wellbeing for people with type 1 diabetes. NICE is responsible for producing clinical guidelines and quality standards for diabetes care.

The current NICE guideline for type 1 diabetes diagnosis and management, a copy of which is attached, states that members of diabetes professional teams should be alert to the symptoms of depression and anxiety, have the appropriate skills to provide basic management, and arrange prompt referral to specialists where an individual’s mental health interferes significantly with their wellbeing or self-management.

NHS England works in close partnership with national charities and organisations that support people living with type 1 diabetes, including by facilitating and supporting peer support opportunities.

For example, NHS England has collaborated with Diabetes UK, Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes, and people with lived experience to produce The Six Principles of Good Peer Support for People Living with Type 1 Diabetes statement, which aims to promote the standards required for peer support to both clinicians and to those who are looking to access peer support opportunities. Further information on the statement is available on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.

Diabetes UK also runs the Together Type 1 Programme which aims to create a supportive environment where young people can connect with others who understand the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes. Further information is available on the Together Type 1 Programme on Diabetes UK’s website, in an online only format. Diabetes UK also has a network of regional teams that facilitate local peer support groups and activities.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
15th Sep 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans NHS England has to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to support emotional wellbeing for patients with type 1 diabetes.

The National Diabetes Audit is the primary mechanism for collecting data in England on the care and outcomes of people living with diabetes, helping to inform healthcare practice and policy.

The National Diabetes Audit could serve as a registry for type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) in the future. An agreed definition of T1DE supported by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be important to enable diagnosis, data recording, and establishing data collection processes.

NHS England works closely with NICE to understand emerging areas for consideration in national guidance and has committed to sharing the current pilot site evaluation outcomes, when available, with NICE to ensure findings are considered in the development of future guidance.

The National Health Service does not currently have any plans to introduce a mental health assessment to the annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes or to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to provide emotional wellbeing for people with type 1 diabetes. NICE is responsible for producing clinical guidelines and quality standards for diabetes care.

The current NICE guideline for type 1 diabetes diagnosis and management, a copy of which is attached, states that members of diabetes professional teams should be alert to the symptoms of depression and anxiety, have the appropriate skills to provide basic management, and arrange prompt referral to specialists where an individual’s mental health interferes significantly with their wellbeing or self-management.

NHS England works in close partnership with national charities and organisations that support people living with type 1 diabetes, including by facilitating and supporting peer support opportunities.

For example, NHS England has collaborated with Diabetes UK, Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes, and people with lived experience to produce The Six Principles of Good Peer Support for People Living with Type 1 Diabetes statement, which aims to promote the standards required for peer support to both clinicians and to those who are looking to access peer support opportunities. Further information on the statement is available on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.

Diabetes UK also runs the Together Type 1 Programme which aims to create a supportive environment where young people can connect with others who understand the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes. Further information is available on the Together Type 1 Programme on Diabetes UK’s website, in an online only format. Diabetes UK also has a network of regional teams that facilitate local peer support groups and activities.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
15th Sep 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government whether NHS England will create a dedicated registry for type 1 diabetes that includes a specific category for type 1 diabetes and eating disorders to improve prevalence data and patient support.

The National Diabetes Audit is the primary mechanism for collecting data in England on the care and outcomes of people living with diabetes, helping to inform healthcare practice and policy.

The National Diabetes Audit could serve as a registry for type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) in the future. An agreed definition of T1DE supported by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be important to enable diagnosis, data recording, and establishing data collection processes.

NHS England works closely with NICE to understand emerging areas for consideration in national guidance and has committed to sharing the current pilot site evaluation outcomes, when available, with NICE to ensure findings are considered in the development of future guidance.

The National Health Service does not currently have any plans to introduce a mental health assessment to the annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes or to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to provide emotional wellbeing for people with type 1 diabetes. NICE is responsible for producing clinical guidelines and quality standards for diabetes care.

The current NICE guideline for type 1 diabetes diagnosis and management, a copy of which is attached, states that members of diabetes professional teams should be alert to the symptoms of depression and anxiety, have the appropriate skills to provide basic management, and arrange prompt referral to specialists where an individual’s mental health interferes significantly with their wellbeing or self-management.

NHS England works in close partnership with national charities and organisations that support people living with type 1 diabetes, including by facilitating and supporting peer support opportunities.

For example, NHS England has collaborated with Diabetes UK, Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes, and people with lived experience to produce The Six Principles of Good Peer Support for People Living with Type 1 Diabetes statement, which aims to promote the standards required for peer support to both clinicians and to those who are looking to access peer support opportunities. Further information on the statement is available on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.

Diabetes UK also runs the Together Type 1 Programme which aims to create a supportive environment where young people can connect with others who understand the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes. Further information is available on the Together Type 1 Programme on Diabetes UK’s website, in an online only format. Diabetes UK also has a network of regional teams that facilitate local peer support groups and activities.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
15th Sep 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to scope and support the development of peer support networks for people living with type 1 diabetes and eating disorders, including moderated online and in-person models.

The National Diabetes Audit is the primary mechanism for collecting data in England on the care and outcomes of people living with diabetes, helping to inform healthcare practice and policy.

The National Diabetes Audit could serve as a registry for type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) in the future. An agreed definition of T1DE supported by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be important to enable diagnosis, data recording, and establishing data collection processes.

NHS England works closely with NICE to understand emerging areas for consideration in national guidance and has committed to sharing the current pilot site evaluation outcomes, when available, with NICE to ensure findings are considered in the development of future guidance.

The National Health Service does not currently have any plans to introduce a mental health assessment to the annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes or to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to provide emotional wellbeing for people with type 1 diabetes. NICE is responsible for producing clinical guidelines and quality standards for diabetes care.

The current NICE guideline for type 1 diabetes diagnosis and management, a copy of which is attached, states that members of diabetes professional teams should be alert to the symptoms of depression and anxiety, have the appropriate skills to provide basic management, and arrange prompt referral to specialists where an individual’s mental health interferes significantly with their wellbeing or self-management.

NHS England works in close partnership with national charities and organisations that support people living with type 1 diabetes, including by facilitating and supporting peer support opportunities.

For example, NHS England has collaborated with Diabetes UK, Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes, and people with lived experience to produce The Six Principles of Good Peer Support for People Living with Type 1 Diabetes statement, which aims to promote the standards required for peer support to both clinicians and to those who are looking to access peer support opportunities. Further information on the statement is available on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.

Diabetes UK also runs the Together Type 1 Programme which aims to create a supportive environment where young people can connect with others who understand the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes. Further information is available on the Together Type 1 Programme on Diabetes UK’s website, in an online only format. Diabetes UK also has a network of regional teams that facilitate local peer support groups and activities.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
15th Sep 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan will include measures to recruit, train and retain mental health professionals with specialism in type 1 diabetes and eating disorders.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. To support this, the Department and NHS England will be engaging with key stakeholders to ensure that the particular needs of different patient groups and relevant health professionals are reflected in this work.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
15th Sep 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve training for healthcare practitioners in recognising and managing type 1 diabetes and eating disorders, including provision for GPs.

The standard of training for healthcare professionals is the responsibility of the independent professional regulators, who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level, and who approve the courses and curricula that universities write and teach in order to enable their students to meet these outcome standards.

The curricula for postgraduate medical specialty training are set by individual royal colleges and faculties. For general practice, it is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners. The General Medical Council approves the curricula and assessment systems for each training programme.

Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all emphasise the skills and approaches a healthcare practitioner must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients, including for type 1 diabetes with disordered eating.

Employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver appropriate treatment for patients.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
11th Sep 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will require integrated care boards to provide sustainable funding for successful pilot projects on type 1 diabetes and eating disorders to enable them to become regional centres of excellence.

NHS England has provided up to £1.5 million a year for the five current Type 1 Disordered Eating pilots for three years. This funding is transferred to integrated care boards on an annual basis and in 2025/26 has been ringfenced.

Decisions on funding for future years have yet to be taken.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
11th Sep 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with social media companies on the moderation of pro-eating disorder material and misinformation relating to diabetes and body image.

Under the Government’s Online Safety Act, all in-scope services are now required to protect their users from illegal content, and platforms likely to be accessed by children need to prevent their users from accessing eating disorder content.

No discussions have been held with social media companies. However, we are working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Ofcom and others as the Online Safety Act takes effect. This includes exploring further opportunities to address harmful pro-eating disorder material and misinformation shared on social media and websites.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
11th Sep 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will support the creation of an international symposium of experts on type 1 diabetes and eating disorders to share best practice and guidance on diagnosis and treatment.

No assessment has been made of the merits of creating an international symposium of experts on type 1 diabetes and eating disorders. NHS England is currently funding five Type 1 Disordered Eating (T1DE) pilots, with the aim of increasing understanding of the characteristics and care needs of people with T1DE, assessing the feasibility of the service delivery model and build the evidence base for an integrated diabetes and mental health pathway.

A national evaluation is currently underway to assess the impact of the five current pilot services. NHS England will review the evaluation findings to understand further opportunities to promote awareness of T1DE amongst healthcare professionals.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
11th Sep 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will work with diabetes and eating disorder charities to support national campaigns aimed at reducing stigmatisation of type 1 diabetes and eating disorders (T1DE) in the media, drawing on NHS England's Language Matters guidance.

The national diabetes programme works closely with charity partners including Diabetes UK who take a multi-pronged approach to reducing stigma experienced by those with all types of diabetes. This includes raising awareness of the complex and serious nature of type 1 diabetes, including type 1 disordered eating (T1DE), providing support to those that experience stigma, and supporting research into stigma and how it can be reduced or prevented.

NHS England is partnering with the National Institute for Health and Care Research to deliver a qualitative evaluation of the five current T1DE pilot sites. A core element of this approach has been engagement with service users to understand their experiences of having the condition, both before and during their involvement with the T1DE service.

The National Diabetes Experience Survey led by NHS England is a further mechanism for understanding the experiences of those living with type 1 diabetes including T1DE to inform national and local approaches to improvement.

In response to feedback on the experiences of people of all ages who live with diabetes, NHS England published the document, Language Matters: language and diabetes, a guide for health care professionals which sets out the good practice principles for interactions with people living with diabetes including around reducing stigma. The guide is available on the NHS website in an online-only format.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
11th Sep 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes and eating disorders (T1DE) among healthcare professionals in diabetes and eating disorder services; and whether they plan to establish a national framework for preventing T1DE, including risk screening tools for use in clinical practice.

NHS England is currently funding five Type 1 Disordered Eating (T1DE) Pilots, with the aim of increasing understanding of the characteristics and care needs of people with T1DE, assessing the feasibility of the service delivery model and build the evidence base for an integrated diabetes and mental health pathway.

Pilot sites are delivering a national high level service specification alongside testing local novel approaches to improving care including to awareness raising of the condition amongst both diabetes and eating disorder health care professionals.

A national evaluation is currently underway to assess the impact of the five current pilot services. NHS England will review the evaluation findings to understand further opportunities to promote awareness of Type 1 disordered eating amongst healthcare professionals.

NHS England works alongside its partners to support the delivery of key messages around diabetes education and awareness. This includes through a digital diabetes platform which is developing educational resources for T1DE.

No assessment has been made of the merits of creating a national framework.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
11th Sep 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network to work together to review and update clinical guidelines on type 1 diabetes and eating disorders, including guidance on diagnosis and treatment.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) have a shared interest to improve quality of care for patients through the development of clinical guidelines. SIGN works together with NICE in several areas, including identifying and undertaking joint initiatives to reduce duplication of effort and improve efficiency in their respective guideline development programmes and providing joint solutions to issues affecting guideline development in the United Kingdom.

NICE has published guidelines on the diagnosis and management of Type 1 diabetes in adults and in children, namely NG17 and NG18. Both include recommendations on dietary management and NG17 has recommendations on managing complications, including eating disorders. NICE has also published a guideline on the recognition and treatment of eating disorders, namely NG69. This guideline includes recommendations for people with diabetes and physical and mental health comorbidities, including eating disorders. Copies of guidelines NG17 and NG69 are attached.

NICE intends to carry out focussed updates to all diabetes guidance to take account of changes in insulin availability but has no current plans for further updates to NG17 and NG18, either alone or in collaboration with SIGN. NICE takes a proactive approach to surveillance, monitoring for changes in the evidence base that may impact on its recommendations. Topics for new or updated guidance are considered through the NICE prioritisation process. Decisions as to whether NICE will create new, or update existing, guidance are overseen by an integrated, cross-organisational prioritisation board, chaired by NICE’s chief medical officer.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
4th Sep 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Yorkshire Cancer Research’s ROSE model for research funding; and whether this model will be included the National Cancer Plan.

The National Cancer Plan will seek to ensure equitable access to the benefits of health research, as set out by Yorkshire Cancer Research’s ROSE model. The Department invests in research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care including cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Welcoming applications on cancer to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded. In line with prior commitments, the Department has increased funding for NIHR research infrastructure schemes delivering cancer research outside the Greater South East, including biomedical research centres, clinical research facilities, and HealthTech research centres.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
24th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England, what assessment they have made of opportunities to identify genetic risk for diabetes, and what plans they have to implement that genetic testing as part of the shift to diabetes prevention.

The National Health Service, in partnership with Our Future Health, will trial the use of Integrated Risk Scores, which combine genomic data with lifestyle and other non-biological risk factors, within neighbourhood health services. This partnership will generate important evidence to inform whether, and how, integrated risk scores could be used more widely in the NHS. The partnership will initially focus on cardiovascular disease but is set to expand to include diabetes, breast cancer, glaucoma, and osteoporosis. This work represents a significant step towards embedding genetic testing into routine preventive care, enabling earlier identification of individuals at higher genetic risk and personalised healthcare based on risk. This approach directly supports the ambitions set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, which commits to shifting the NHS from a reactive model to one that is predictive and preventive, using genomics and data-driven tools to tackle major conditions like diabetes earlier and more effectively.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
24th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government how they are working with NHS England to ensure equitable access to diabetes innovations, particularly for patients from disadvantaged and ethnic minority backgrounds.

NHS England is working at a national level on behalf of the Department as part of a wider equality monitoring review programme. This review is exploring how best to update equality monitoring arrangements, including ethnicity categories, by reference to the protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2010.

The National Diabetes Audit (NDA) is a major national clinical audit, which measures the effectiveness of diabetes healthcare against National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines and NICE quality standards, in England and Wales. This includes NICE’s guidance on diabetes innovations like continuous glucose monitors and hybrid closed loop systems. The NDA is delivered by NHS England, in partnership with Diabetes UK.

The NDA consistently reveals inequalities in diabetes care and outcomes across different socioeconomic and demographic groups. People living in more deprived areas, younger individuals, and some ethnic minorities experience poorer access to care processes and treatment targets compared to their counterparts in less deprived areas and among older individuals.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
24th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence towards their priorities for 2025–26, including diabetes, and the impact of those priorities on patient access to novel technologies and treatments.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will shortly be publishing its business plan, which will set out its priorities for 2025/26, following approval by the NICE Board. NICE’s priorities will include delivery of commitments outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan. These include:

- the adoption of a dynamic approach to appraisals that identifies where existing innovation should be retired and where technologies should be sequenced within the clinical pathway, to improve value and health outcomes;

- expanding NICE’s technology appraisal process to cover devices, diagnostics, and digital products, supported by the introduction of a rules-based pathway for HealthTech, to reduce variation in access to high-impact medical technologies; and

- alignment of NICE and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency processes, supported by information sharing and joint scientific advice, to speed up decision making and reduce the administrative burden for the system and industry, allowing new and innovative technologies to get to patients faster.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
24th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's (NICE) evaluation processes at reflecting the pace of innovation in medical technologies, in particular for chronic conditions such as type 1 and 2 diabetes; and what assessment they have made of increasing NICE's cost-effectiveness threshold in line with the voluntary scheme growth rates since 2014.

With the pace of innovation increasing, it is crucial now more than ever that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is focused on the highest impact technologies.

The Rules-Based Pathway (RBP), recently announced in the 10-Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan, will, for the first time, create a national pathway that guarantees funding for several rigorously selected transformative technologies each year, streamlining the route to adoption in the National Health Service for selected devices, diagnostics, and digital tools. This will give NICE a powerful lever to drive healthcare transformation and help to position the United Kingdom as a first-to-market location for cutting-edge technology.

NICE assessments have been carried out on diabetes technologies, including: insulin pumps; continuous glucose monitors; and most recently, hybrid closed loop systems. Diabetes technologies listed on Part IX of the NHS Drug Tariff are also subject to more frequent review.

The 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access, and growth, which is an agreement between the Department, NHS England, and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, states that the standard NICE cost-effectiveness threshold will not change for the duration of the scheme, which ends in December 2028.

Under the current arrangements, NICE is able to recommend the majority of medicines it appraises for use on the NHS, with an approval rate of 84%.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
24th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government whether long-term clinical benefits and broader impacts, such as economic activity and emotional wellbeing, of medical innovations are routinely considered by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; and what assessment they have made of incorporating consideration of those impacts into evolving cost-effectiveness technologies.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) develops its guidance independently and on the basis of an assessment of the available evidence, taking into account all health-related costs and benefits for patients and caregivers, including health outcomes, in line with its established methods and processes.

NICE does not take account of economic productivity in its assessments. It would involve valuing interventions differently based on the working status of the recipient population, which would be methodologically and ethically challenging and could systematically disadvantage certain groups including children, long-term sick and unemployed people, and could result in fewer treatments being recommended for these populations.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
24th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of adopting reimbursed access at the point of marking authorisation for medicines; and what assessment they have made of the impact of cost-effectiveness appraisals after real world use on the consideration of potential long-term clinical and patient benefits.

The Government wants National Health Service patients in England to be able to benefit from rapid access to effective new medicines. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluates all new licensed medicines and makes recommendations for the NHS on whether they should be routinely funded based on the evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness. NICE aims, wherever possible, to issue its recommendations close to the time of marketing authorisation to ensure that there is no gap between licensing and patient access to NICE recommended medicines. The 10-Year Health Plan and Life Science Sector Plan outline our commitments to speeding up access for NHS patients to new medicines through the introduction of a parallel marketing authorisation and NICE process.

NHS patients are able to benefit from access to promising new medicines through the Cancer Drugs Fund and Innovative Medicines Fund while further real-world evidence is collected on their use to inform a final NICE decision on whether they can be recommended for routine NHS funding.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
21st Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the national cancer plan will include steps to integrate exercise, nutrition and well-being support into prehabilitation and rehabilitation programmes for all cancer patients, as recommended in The White Rose Cancer Report, published by Yorkshire Cancer Research on 18 June; and what plans they have to adopt the ROSE model to ensure equity in research funding and implementation across the country.

The Government and the National Health Service recognise the importance of physical activity for the prevention and management of long-term health conditions, including cancer.

The National Cancer Plan, due to be published later this year, will set out how experiences and outcomes can be improved for people at every stage of the cancer pathway, including prehabilitation and rehabilitation. The Department acknowledges that more can be done to support people living with and beyond cancer.

The NHS Cancer Programme, through local Cancer Alliances, is working to ensure physical activity is fully integrated across the whole cancer pathway, which includes opportunities within rehabilitation for people who have undergone treatment.

NHS England has highlighted the positive impact of efficient prehabilitation and rehabilitation on cancer outcomes and the potential to lead to cost savings. The ‘PRosPer’ Cancer Prehabilitation and Rehabilitation learning programme, launched in partnership between NHS England and Macmillan Cancer support, aims to support allied health professionals and the wider healthcare workforce in developing their skills in providing personalised care, prehabilitation, and rehabilitation in the cancer pathway.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments, and to supporting equity of research funding and implementation cross the country.

The Department funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) supports the principles outlined in the ROSE model, by funding research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research.

The NIHR has made research inclusion a condition of its funding. Applicants to domestic research programmes are required to demonstrate how inclusion is being built into all stages of the research lifecycle and are also required to provide details of how their research contributes towards the NIHR’s mission to reduce health and care inequalities.

The NIHR’s Applied Research Collaborations are regional partnerships which generate high-quality research and evaluation, and work with the system to support the scaling and adoption of effective interventions and models of care nationally, particularly in areas of high disease burden and service demand.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
21st Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential cost savings to the NHS and social care system of implementing automatic stop smoking support at NHS touchpoints; and how will that inform future funding decisions.

Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the potential cost savings from stop smoking support in all National Health Services, we know that supporting more people to stop smoking reduces preventable illness and therefore pressure on health and social care services.

An evaluation of a pilot opt-out model in Manchester showed the gross financial return was £2.12, and the public value return was £30.49, per £1 invested. NHS England has also made a tool that estimates the potential cost savings associated with the reduced demand on front line services available for maternity services.

As of the end of 2024/25, 93% of NHS in-patient services and 97% of maternity services had a tobacco dependence treatment offer.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we remain committed to ensuring that all hospitals integrate smoking cessation interventions into routine care. As part of their allocations for 2025/26, integrated care boards have access to funding to support the provision of tobacco dependency treatment for smokers. Funding for future years is subject to final decisions following the recent Spending Review.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
21st Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of people diagnosed with cancer in an emergency care setting in (1) Yorkshire, and (2) other regions of the country.

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer as early and quickly as possible and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes. This will help cancer patients across England, including in Yorkshire.

We are improving public awareness of cancer signs and symptoms, streamlining referral routes, and increasing the availability of diagnostic capacity through the roll-out of more community diagnostic centres. We are also investing an additional £889 million in general practices (GPs) to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.

Alongside improving cancer waiting time performance, the NHS has implemented non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. To support the use of rapid diagnostic centres, non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways have been rolled out across England for patients who present with vague symptoms which could indicate multiple different types of cancer, for example unexplained weight-loss and fatigue.

The Government has announced that the National Cancer Plan will be published later this year, following the recent publication of the 10-Year Health Plan. The National Cancer Plan will ensure that cancer patients in England, including in Yorkshire, will have access to the best cancer care and treatments. It will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
5th Jun 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Merron on 22 May (HLWS662), what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Advertising Standards Authority in its role as the frontline regulator of the measures in the Health and Care Act 2022 about the advertising of unhealthy food and drink on TV and online.

The Government has set a bold ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever, and will take action to address the childhood obesity crisis. As part of this, we are committed to implementing the advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online.

The Government appointed Ofcom as the statutory regulator for the advertising restrictions and this was set out in primary legislation via the Health and Care Act 2022. Ofcom appointed the Advertising Standards Authority as the frontline regulator of the advertising restrictions, using powers in the Communications Act 2003. It consulted on this appointment and published the statement, Regulation of advertising for less healthy food and drink: Implementation of new statutory restrictions, following the consultation in July 2023.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
3rd Jun 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Merron on 22 May (HLWS662), whether they considered alternatives to delaying the regulation of the advertising of unhealthy food on TV and online.

The Government is committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online, as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.  The decision to exempt brand advertising from these restrictions was made following consultation and was understood and agreed by Parliament during the passage of the legislation in 2021.

The consistent position of the Government, as re-confirmed in a written statement in this House on 22 April 2025, is that brand advertising is not captured by the restrictions, as the legislation only restricts adverts that could reasonably be considered to be for identifiable less healthy products.

Industry raised significant concerns in response to the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) draft implementation guidance published for consultation in February 2025. We are aware that many brands have prepared advertising campaigns in good faith ahead of the previous coming into force date of 1 October 2025 and were concerned about how these adverts would be affected by the ASA’s implementation guidance.

There were several meetings between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to discuss a wide range of options for resolving this issue. This culminated in the successful resolution set out in the written ministerial statement on 22 May 2025. This announced that the Government will lay legislation to explicitly exempt ‘brand advertising’ from the advertising restrictions. Providing legal clarification on the existing policy intention will provide certainty to industry and support businesses to invest in advertising with confidence, while ensuring that we deliver our commitment to protect children from exposure to junk food advertising and the lifelong harms of obesity.

Industry stakeholders were engaged shortly prior to the announcement so that they had sufficient time to agree their voluntary commitment to implement the restrictions from 1 October 2025. We informed other stakeholders at the earliest opportunity and will continue to engage with all stakeholders throughout the consultation on the draft regulations, which will be published soon.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
3rd Jun 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statements by Baroness Merron on 22 April (HLWS587) and 22 May (HLWS662), what were the developments that led to the decision to delay the regulation of unhealthy food advertising in the time between those statements.

The Government is committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online, as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.  The decision to exempt brand advertising from these restrictions was made following consultation and was understood and agreed by Parliament during the passage of the legislation in 2021.

The consistent position of the Government, as re-confirmed in a written statement in this House on 22 April 2025, is that brand advertising is not captured by the restrictions, as the legislation only restricts adverts that could reasonably be considered to be for identifiable less healthy products.

Industry raised significant concerns in response to the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) draft implementation guidance published for consultation in February 2025. We are aware that many brands have prepared advertising campaigns in good faith ahead of the previous coming into force date of 1 October 2025 and were concerned about how these adverts would be affected by the ASA’s implementation guidance.

There were several meetings between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to discuss a wide range of options for resolving this issue. This culminated in the successful resolution set out in the written ministerial statement on 22 May 2025. This announced that the Government will lay legislation to explicitly exempt ‘brand advertising’ from the advertising restrictions. Providing legal clarification on the existing policy intention will provide certainty to industry and support businesses to invest in advertising with confidence, while ensuring that we deliver our commitment to protect children from exposure to junk food advertising and the lifelong harms of obesity.

Industry stakeholders were engaged shortly prior to the announcement so that they had sufficient time to agree their voluntary commitment to implement the restrictions from 1 October 2025. We informed other stakeholders at the earliest opportunity and will continue to engage with all stakeholders throughout the consultation on the draft regulations, which will be published soon.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
3rd Jun 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Merron on 22 May (HLWS662), whether they consulted or informed any public health organisations of the decision to delay the legislation to regulate unhealthy food and drink advertisements on TV and online before publishing that statement.

The Government is committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online, as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.  The decision to exempt brand advertising from these restrictions was made following consultation and was understood and agreed by Parliament during the passage of the legislation in 2021.

The consistent position of the Government, as re-confirmed in a written statement in this House on 22 April 2025, is that brand advertising is not captured by the restrictions, as the legislation only restricts adverts that could reasonably be considered to be for identifiable less healthy products.

Industry raised significant concerns in response to the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) draft implementation guidance published for consultation in February 2025. We are aware that many brands have prepared advertising campaigns in good faith ahead of the previous coming into force date of 1 October 2025 and were concerned about how these adverts would be affected by the ASA’s implementation guidance.

There were several meetings between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to discuss a wide range of options for resolving this issue. This culminated in the successful resolution set out in the written ministerial statement on 22 May 2025. This announced that the Government will lay legislation to explicitly exempt ‘brand advertising’ from the advertising restrictions. Providing legal clarification on the existing policy intention will provide certainty to industry and support businesses to invest in advertising with confidence, while ensuring that we deliver our commitment to protect children from exposure to junk food advertising and the lifelong harms of obesity.

Industry stakeholders were engaged shortly prior to the announcement so that they had sufficient time to agree their voluntary commitment to implement the restrictions from 1 October 2025. We informed other stakeholders at the earliest opportunity and will continue to engage with all stakeholders throughout the consultation on the draft regulations, which will be published soon.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
3rd Jun 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Merron on 22 May (HLWS662), on what date the food and media companies that signed the letter published on the Advertising Association's website were informed of the decision to delay regulations on TV and online advertising of unhealthy food.

The Government is committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online, as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.  The decision to exempt brand advertising from these restrictions was made following consultation and was understood and agreed by Parliament during the passage of the legislation in 2021.

The consistent position of the Government, as re-confirmed in a written statement in this House on 22 April 2025, is that brand advertising is not captured by the restrictions, as the legislation only restricts adverts that could reasonably be considered to be for identifiable less healthy products.

Industry raised significant concerns in response to the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) draft implementation guidance published for consultation in February 2025. We are aware that many brands have prepared advertising campaigns in good faith ahead of the previous coming into force date of 1 October 2025 and were concerned about how these adverts would be affected by the ASA’s implementation guidance.

There were several meetings between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to discuss a wide range of options for resolving this issue. This culminated in the successful resolution set out in the written ministerial statement on 22 May 2025. This announced that the Government will lay legislation to explicitly exempt ‘brand advertising’ from the advertising restrictions. Providing legal clarification on the existing policy intention will provide certainty to industry and support businesses to invest in advertising with confidence, while ensuring that we deliver our commitment to protect children from exposure to junk food advertising and the lifelong harms of obesity.

Industry stakeholders were engaged shortly prior to the announcement so that they had sufficient time to agree their voluntary commitment to implement the restrictions from 1 October 2025. We informed other stakeholders at the earliest opportunity and will continue to engage with all stakeholders throughout the consultation on the draft regulations, which will be published soon.

Baroness Merron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
3rd Jun 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Merron on 22 May (HLWS662), what representations they received from (1) the food and drink industry, and (2) the advertising industry, about the regulations to restrict the advertising of unhealthy food; and whether those representations were a factor in the decision to delay those regulations.

The Government is committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online, as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.  The decision to exempt brand advertising from these restrictions was made following consultation and was understood and agreed by Parliament during the passage of the legislation in 2021.

The consistent position of the Government, as re-confirmed in a written statement in this House on 22 April 2025, is that brand advertising is not captured by the restrictions, as the legislation only restricts adverts that could reasonably be considered to be for identifiable less healthy products.

Industry raised significant concerns in response to the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) draft implementation guidance published for consultation in February 2025. We are aware that many brands have prepared advertising campaigns in good faith ahead of the previous coming into force date of 1 October 2025 and were concerned about how these adverts would be affected by the ASA’s implementation guidance.

There were several meetings between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to discuss a wide range of options for resolving this issue. This culminated in the successful resolution set out in the written ministerial statement on 22 May 2025. This announced that the Government will lay legislation to explicitly exempt ‘brand advertising’ from the advertising restrictions. Providing legal clarification on the existing policy intention will provide certainty to industry and support businesses to invest in advertising with confidence, while ensuring that we deliver our commitment to protect children from exposure to junk food advertising and the lifelong harms of obesity.

Industry stakeholders were engaged shortly prior to the announcement so that they had sufficient time to agree their voluntary commitment to implement the restrictions from 1 October 2025. We informed other stakeholders at the earliest opportunity and will continue to engage with all stakeholders throughout the consultation on the draft regulations, which will be published soon.

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