Lords
Debate
9 January 2026
2 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords—
My Lords, one reason I was reluctant to get up is that I believe very strongly that all who want to speak in these debates should be allowed to do so, but I ask noble Lords to please bear in mind that there are many others who may want to speak to the group, and we should not make Second Reading spe…
Lords
Oral Questions
8 January 2026
Vaccine Health Technology Assessment
My Lords, I am most grateful to my noble friend Lady Ritchie for her thorough introduction and for securing this debate. I am also grateful to all noble Lords for their considered contributions. The subject of today’s debate reflects my noble friend’s steadfast commitment to improving access to immu…
Lords
Oral Questions
7 January 2026
Computer-generated Child Sexual Abuse Material
The position is that Ofcom is the regulator for this area and that all child sexual abuse images et cetera are currently illegal. The question is about the use of powers to take them down and hold tech companies to account. That is what the consultation will be completed on and by April 2026 we will…
Lords
Oral Questions
5 January 2026
Sudden Cardiac Death: Screening for Young People
Comparisons of screening programmes with other health systems can be misleading. For example, the programme in Italy operates only in the area around Venice; it is not a national screening programme. The published data is unclear and we have requested further information. Of course, if any programme…
Lords
Proceedings
18 December 2025
2 contributions
Puberty Suppressants Trial
My Lords, I begin by thanking the Government for their sensitive language in handling this delicate issue. I recall the noble Baroness, Lady Cass, telling the House that puberty blockers are currently licensed only for much younger children with precocious puberty or older adults with certain cancer…
What assurance can be given so that any health developments under these trials are not irreversible?
Lords
Proceedings
16 December 2025
NHS: Winter Preparedness
My Lords, I want to ask the Minister about two cohorts in respect of which there are concerns about vaccination levels. The first is front-line health workers. Is the Minister aware of what percentage have been vaccinated and what action is being taken to improve the uptake of vaccinations, particul…
Lords
Oral Questions
16 December 2025
Women’s Health Strategy
This is a very important point. The 10-year health plan restated the aim of eliminating cervical cancer by 2040 through the improved uptake of cervical screening and HPV vaccination. To the specific point, which is such an important one, in June—not many months ago—we announced that screening provid…
Lords
Proceedings
15 December 2025
Resident Doctors: Industrial Action
My Lords, the announcement of further industrial action by resident doctors is obviously deeply concerning. These strikes, which we now know will go ahead after all, will have a serious impact on the capacity of our health service to function at precisely the time of year when demand is at its highe…
Lords
Debate
12 December 2025
3 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
As I set out last week and will repeat if noble Lords will forgive me, I completely agree with what the Government Chief Whip said about noble Lords ensuring that they speak to the amendments and do not give Second Reading speeches, but, at the same time, I think it is important that all noble Lords…
The question that a number of noble Lords are concerned about, when discussing this amendment, is that the Mental Capacity Act was passed in 2005. Of course, the guidance has been updated, but it might be helpful to those in the Committee who are concerned that this Act is 20 years out of date to ta…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
11 December 2025
Wheelchair and Community Equipment Strategy
My Lords, I am most grateful to my noble friend Lord Hunt, not just for securing this important debate on a vital issue, as the noble Lord, Lord Kamall, said, but for his campaigning, along with other noble Lords, groups and individuals outside your Lordships’ House over many years. I am also gratef…
Lords
Committee Stage
26 November 2025
2 contributions
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, this group of amendments deals with the designation of vape-free places. As with the earlier debate on smoke-free places, they probe—I stress, probe—the Government on the powers they seek to extend the restriction of the use of vaping products, and whether those powers will be exercised pr…
My Lords, I thank the Minister for her response; I also thank all noble Lords who spoke on this group. I am grateful to the Minister for confirming that any further extension of the designation of vape-free places will be done via the affirmative procedure, which is very welcome.
I have a couple of…
Lords
Debate
24 November 2025
Mental Health Bill [HL]
My Lords, I thank noble Lords for the thank yous and the appreciation for the whole team, which, as noble Lords have said, is extensive. I also appreciate the welcome for the number of improvements that we have made to the Bill by being able to work together. I am grateful to noble Lords for their c…
Lords
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
Brain Tumours: Causes and Treatment
It is an important point, as the noble Lord, Lord Sharpe, raised. As I said, the national cancer plan will give that opportunity to address challenges and needs such as those the noble Lord raised. We are also establishing a brain tumour research consortium through the NIHR, which will bring togethe…
Lords
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
NHS: Wheelchair Services
The noble Lord is right, and his comments about buildings apply not just to NHS buildings either but to the whole range. I can assure the noble Lord that across government we have continuing discussions about this, because it is not, as the noble Lord says, just a matter of getting the right wheelch…
Lords
Committee Stage
17 November 2025
2 contributions
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, Amendments 175 and 179 in my name and that of my noble friend Lord Howe propose restricting the Secretary of State’s power to designate smoke-free places to a clearly defined and limited set of locations: NHS property or hospitals, public playgrounds, and providers of early years education…
My Lords, I am grateful to the wide range of noble Lords who spoke on these amendments. These are clearly intended as probing amendments, at this stage, to understand—as the Minister herself agreed—these wide sweeping powers to designate additional spaces as smoke-free. We are grateful because we we…
Lords
Oral Questions
13 November 2025
Covid-19 Pandemic: Commemoration
The noble Lord raises a really important point. A number of noble Lords will be aware that I had the privilege to work on the response in London. People who I was working with, at the same time as they were leading that response, also lost loved ones. For example, when I went to the wall a couple of…
Lords
Oral Questions
13 November 2025
Goodmayes Hospital Mental Health Facility
That is absolutely at the core. I will just say, as an example on this particular tragic case, that NHS England still meets regularly with the trust, and the last meeting took place two weeks ago—it conducted a mid-year review. There is also a recommendation for a memorandum of understanding on inve…
Lords
Oral Questions
13 November 2025
Learning Disabilities Mortality Review Reports
It bears repeating that it is shocking that people are dying on average up to 20 years earlier. As I have said, that is unacceptable. We work very closely with Mencap and other organisations, but what we are doing already is, for example, to the point that the noble Lord raised, improving identifica…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 November 2025
Telemedical Abortions
I certainly can confirm that, and I am grateful to the noble Lord for emphasising the point. Two doctors have to certify that in their opinion, the abortion meets the grounds of the Abortion Act. For a telemedical abortion, the doctor must also certify that in their opinion the pregnancy has not exc…
Lords
Oral Questions
4 November 2025
Artificial Intelligence: Safeguarding
I certainly agree that this is the way we need to go, and discussions happen regularly with companies, as the noble Lord says. It is probably also worth saying that we have already seen some early signs of improvement in terms of protection for users from online harms, and over 6,000 services are im…
Lords
Committee Stage
3 November 2025
5 contributions
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, in some ways this group will follow on from the last; some of the comments I will make now could be applied to the previous group of amendments.
Noble Lords will be aware that, as discussed in the previous group, the licensing regime the Bill sets out is complex. Many of the Bill’s provis…
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister and to all noble Lords who spoke in the debate on this group of amendments. The intention was always that these would be probing amendments; whether it was three months, as from my noble friend Lord Mott, or six months, as from us, we wanted to get some certai…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
30 October 2025
7 contributions
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, I speak to the group of amendments in my name and that of my noble friend Lord Howe, supported by the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson, to whom I am grateful. Together, these amendments seek to prohibit the manufacture, sale and supply of high-strength oral nicotine products—those contai…
My Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords who have spoken in this debate; I welcome their thoughtful discussion and the important points that a number of them made. As I said earlier, this was a difficult group for me to put into words, in moving this amendment, because, as many noble Lords will kn…
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
28 October 2025
Plant-based Diet
I thank the noble Lord for his question and his observations. Speaking personally, I find that we are eating far more of a varied diet at home, and indeed often plant-based and purely vegan meals. That is generally generated by the desire of my teenage daughters to live a healthier lifestyle, even i…
Lords
Oral Questions
20 October 2025
Healthcare Provision: Inequalities
I agree with the noble Lord about the importance of data. We have discussed this a number of times in respect of racial inequalities. But it is not just about data; it is also about the use of digital services. We must ensure that those in the most deprived areas are not excluded because of their in…