PFAS

Lord Roborough Excerpts

Thursday 5th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

As I said, we will be taking a precautionary principle approach. The noble Baroness talked about school uniforms; it is important that we make sure that children are protected as much as possible. We recognise the concerns in this area. Her point about mattresses is also important. The textiles industry is already moving away from PFAS voluntarily, but we clearly need to do more. I assure noble Lords that the PFAS plan is the starting point and the platform for moving forward in this area. This is not the limit of our ambition.

[Lord Roborough (Con)]

My Lords, we are concerned that the plan promises high-level actions without clear timelines for phase-outs or mechanisms for delivery. In addition, companies need sufficient time to explore safe alternatives and for the supply chain to adapt accordingly. What are the Government doing to support the private sector in innovating viable alternatives to PFAS?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

The simple answer is that we are carrying out a lot of stakeholder engagement. We are working very closely with industry and business. As I said, the textiles industry is moving that way voluntarily. We need to work with other sections of industry in the private sector to encourage them to do so, because the more we can do now voluntarily, the better, while we bring in our more detailed plans.