Health: Obesity

Lord Bird Excerpts

Tuesday 7th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I accept the noble Baroness’s point about the influences on young people, in particular. It is exactly why, in December, we laid secondary legislation to implement a 9 pm TV watershed for the advertising of less healthy food. The noble Baroness referred to social media, and we are looking into that to see what may be necessary, but I accept the link she made.

[Lord Bird (CB)]

My Lords, nowhere do I see a declaration by this Government or the former Government that up to 50% of people who present themselves to our A&E and medical services are suffering from food poverty. If we threw that around more often, we might decide to do something significant about the role of poverty.

[A noble Lord]

Question!

[Lord Bird (CB)]

I am sorry; I do not have a question. Forgive me.

[Noble Lords]

Oh!

[Lord Bird (CB)]

My question is: when are we going to get rid of poverty?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

As soon as possible.