Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve the (a) protection, (b) promotion and (c) support of optimal infant feeding.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is important that all families are supported to make the right choices for them and to achieve their infant feeding goals. This includes families who cannot breastfeed or choose not to. We know that breastfeeding has significant benefits and are committed to encouraging and supporting breastfeeding.
Most families will receive infant feeding information and support from midwives and health visitors. We are taking action to strengthen these services. We are taking further steps, including investing £18.5 million through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 2025/26 to encourage breastfeeding and to provide infant feeding support across 75 local authorities in England. We have increased the capacity of the National Breastfeeding Helpline. The Start for Life communication programme also includes advice on breast and bottle-feeding and introducing solid foods.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report entitled World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative UK Report 2024, published in March 2025.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to giving children the best start in life, and infant feeding plays a crucial role in achieving this. We recognise the concerns raised in the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative’s United Kingdom report and are considering the recommendations.
We are already taking action to improve infant feeding support. We are strengthening the midwifery and health visiting workforce and building on these services by investing £18.5 million this year for infant feeding services through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 75 local authorities in England. We are also investing in the National Breastfeeding Helpline which provides UK-wide support 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and are expanding Start for Life communications.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of widening the scope of the infant formula legislation to include the (a) digital and (b) other marketing of all (i) formula milks up to age 36 months and (ii) (A) bottles, (B) teats and (C) other equipment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development. The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life, and that includes helping families to access support to feed their baby.
Whilst breastfeeding has significant health benefits, we recognise that for those families that cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is vital that they have access to infant formula that is affordable and high quality. Infant formula regulations ensure that all infant formula and follow on formula are safe and meet the nutritional requirements of babies and infants.
The regulations cover the composition, marketing, and labelling of infant formula and follow-on formula but they do not cover bottle, teats, or other equipment, and there are no plans to extend the regulations to these areas nor to extend the regulations to other formula milks.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) paid flexible breastfeeding breaks and (b) suitable facilities to (i) breastfeed, (ii) express and (iii) store milk in (A) workplaces and (B) places of education.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government provides advice to employers on requirements and best practice arrangements on breastfeeding. Under health and safety law an employer must provide a suitable area where pregnant workers and breastfeeding mothers can rest, with additional advice that this should:
Employers must complete an individual risk assessment for workers who are pregnant, breastfeeding or have given birth in the last 6 months. This risk assessment must be regularly reviewed and provides an opportunity for employers to review arrangements for workers who are breastfeeding and discuss any concerns they may have.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provide guidance on rest breaks and breastfeeding at work: Protecting pregnant workers and new mothers: employers - Rest and breastfeeding at work
Acas also provide guidance on: Returning to work - Maternity leave and pay - Acas
While Schools and Colleges are not legally required to provide dedicated breastfeeding or lactation facilities for students, they are expected to comply with broader obligations under the Equality Act 2010, which protects students from discrimination related to pregnancy and maternity. Many institutions choose to support student parents by offering private, hygienic spaces for breastfeeding or expressing milk, often as part of their commitment to inclusivity and wellbeing. However, it's important to note that colleges are autonomous bodies, meaning the availability and nature of such facilities can vary significantly between institutions. Students are encouraged to contact their college’s student services or equality office to inquire about available support and request reasonable accommodations where needed.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on implementing the Immediate and Essential Actions of the Ockenden review, published on 30 March 2022.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All the recommendations made by Donna Ockenden in her review into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust in 2022 were accepted, including the requests made to the Government, the health system more widely, and the trust. Following publication of the Ockenden review, NHS England wrote to all trusts and systems asking them to deliver the recommendations and report to their public boards.
To support this delivery, NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services brought together the immediate and essential actions from the Ockenden review with those from other reports and guidance. The National Health Service’s operational planning guidance sets out the expectation that trusts should implement the key actions from the plan. In accordance with the NHS operating framework, it is for integrated care boards to oversee local progress with this. The technical guidance which accompanies the plan sets out how we are monitoring progress at a national level.
The plan is in its final year of delivery, and progress has been made across the four themes to improve outcomes and experiences for women and their babies.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust has seen a significant improvement in overall midwifery staffing levels. The trust has enhanced its senior and specialist midwifery teams to provide additional leadership, expert advice, and support for women and families, as well as the clinical teams. The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust now has in place robust training programmes that equip the maternity workforce with up-to-date skills, training, and development, including in the management of emergency scenarios.
On 23 June 2025, my rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced the launch of an independent, national Investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services to look at the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies and families experience unacceptable care. It will look at up to 10 maternity and neonatal units where there are specific issues, international evidence, adoption of best practice and a system-wide investigation of maternity and neonatal care. There have been several reviews, inquiries and national research into maternity and neonatal care in recent years, including Ockenden. The investigation will bring together lessons from past these reviews and will produce, by December 2025, one clear set of national recommendations to achieve high quality, safe care across maternity and neonatal services, and that women and families are listened to. The investigation will take previous recommendations, including the Immediate and Essentials actions from Ockenden, into consideration to ensure we are providing clarity to the system and effectively delivering the change needed.
Alongside this, my rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, also announced we would be establishing a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which he would chair. It will use the recommendations from the investigation to develop a national plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care, holding the system to account for delivering the actions and working closely with families to ensure their voices are central to this work.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve NHS 111 response times.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to continuing to improve NHS 111 to ensure patients can access the right care the first time, only visiting accident and emergency when necessary.
The latest published data shows that May 2025 saw the lowest average NHS 111 call answer time since records began in April 2021, 4 seconds faster than in April 2025, and 58 seconds faster than in May 2024. The average NHS 111 call answer time in the year to date is 46 seconds, compared to 157 seconds in the same period in 2024.
Whilst NHS 111 response times have improved, we recognise there is more to do. On 6 June 2025, we published our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, which includes the commitment to publish and implement the recommendations from the NHS 111 review to make the service quicker and simpler to navigate.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department's rollout of Best Start Family Hubs will include (a) provisions and (b) support services for home-educating families that require SEND support.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 7 July, the government published ‘Giving every child the Best Start in Life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life. This outlines the government’s commitment to deliver a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services. The department will provide over half a billion pounds of investment in the Best Start Family Service over the 2026/29 spending review period.
Best Start Family Hubs will provide both universal and targeted support, with open-access activities and referral routes for families with complex needs. They will bring together professionals from health, education, early years, and community services, prioritising delivery in areas of disadvantage, where families face the greatest barriers to support. Each Best Start Family Hub will have a children and family services professional specifically trained in working to support inclusion for children with additional needs.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department's rollout of Best Start Family Hubs will include (a) provisions and (b) support services for home-educating families.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 7 July, the government published ‘Giving every child the Best Start in Life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life. This outlines the government’s commitment to deliver a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services. The department will provide over half a billion pounds of investment in the Best Start Family Service over the 2026/29 spending review period.
Best Start Family Hubs will provide both universal and targeted support, with open-access activities and referral routes for families with complex needs. They will bring together professionals from health, education, early years, and community services, prioritising delivery in areas of disadvantage, where families face the greatest barriers to support. Each Best Start Family Hub will have a children and family services professional specifically trained in working to support inclusion for children with additional needs.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of trends in levels of charges incurred at ports due to customs procedures on small businesses.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC and Border Force do not typically charge for any customs related processes or checks carried out at ports, and any costs levied at ports are a commercial matter for port operators. HMRC is committed to making customs processes as simple as possible while ensuring effective checks are in place at the border and to reducing trader burden related to complying with customs obligations.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to set up an independent body to process Disclosure and Barring Service checks with formalised processing time targets.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body of the Home Office, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is already an operationally independent body. It also already operates to formalised service standards of completing 85% of Basic check applications within 2 days, 85% of Standard check applications within 3 days, and 80% of Enhanced check applications within 14 days.
Its latest performance against these service standards is available at DBS dataset 1: DBS checks, DBS Update Service, and disputes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).