Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Lord Evans of Rainow Excerpts

Thursday 25th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

My noble friend is quite right about the potentially lasting effects of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder on children, which is why the main priority is preventing it. There are three approaches. First, the clear advice—the safest approach, if you are pregnant or could become pregnant—is not to drink alcohol, and that will remain consistent. I have just referred to the legal requirement for alcohol labels. We will of course continue to look at how prevention messaging can best reach people pre conception. The obvious point here is that so many pregnancies are not planned, so there is no neat solution to getting to the right people. We have to get our messaging right, which is why we are taking the approach we are.

[Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)]

My Lords, the Department of Health and Social Care’s own health needs assessment noted that there are still no reliable prevalence studies for foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in England, despite estimates suggesting that the UK may have one of the highest rates in Europe. How can the Government effectively reduce the prevalence of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder when they still do not know with confidence how many children and adults are living with the condition? What steps have the Government taken to improve diagnosis and data collection?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The noble Lord is quite right that we are working on estimates, and there are a number of practical reasons for that. To come to the noble Lord’s real point, the first National Institute for Health and Care Research challenge funding call was launched in 2024, backed by £50 million. That tasked researchers and policymakers with finding new ways to tackle maternity disparities and poor pregnancy outcomes, and clearly that will support further research and policy. So we are looking to the future and I take on that challenge; it is one that we are meeting.