Baby Foods: Nutrition and Marketing
Debate between Lord Watts and Baroness Blake of Leeds
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
The noble Baroness raises a very important point. This is why we are investing so much in the Start for Life programme, building on all the evidence and experience from the Sure Start model. That model worked because it brought all the other professionals together under one roof. Parents could go through the door, and nobody knew why they were going through that door; there was no stigma attached to it. The other aspect is peer support: the sharing of experiences with other parents. Weaning children is difficult—trust me, I have been there. Parents need huge support. The pressure from advertising, and externally, is immense. The noble Baroness is right: no one agency can do this. It is a team effort, and we all need to pull together.
Lord Watts (Lab)
My Lords, is this not a question of the private sector yet again failing to introduce the required changes? Over many years, the previous Government failed to do anything about this. Do we not need proper regulation, introduced as quickly as possible?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I have answered the point before. Our focus is on improving the situation; however, we kid ourselves if we think that it will be solved just by forms of regulation. This is a much bigger issue: it is about changing culture. It is about making sure that we take young women—and dads—forward on this journey and that we look at every opportunity we have to improve the performance of the industry, to call it out when it is failing and to ensure that we have the best evidence to take things forward.
Bus Fares: National Cap
Debate between Lord Watts and Baroness Blake of Leeds(8 months, 4 weeks ago)
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Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
Rural communities come up all the time when we are talking about bus services. I have lived in the wilds of the Yorkshire Dales in the past and I know exactly how important it is. But the important thing is that local determination can highlight priorities, and we know how much the bus cap has helped rural communities over the last few months. This is something that will be of great concern as we consider how we take it forward.
Lord Watts (Lab)
My Lords, most of the money that comes to the bus companies in income is derived from the public purse. Will the Minister make sure that we get value for money for the taxpayers and stop bus companies ripping us off?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
My noble friend hits on a very sensitive and important issue. Value for money must be driven throughout any scheme that we come up with, and that is one of the top priorities of the work that is happening as we speak.