Member

I turn to the other amendments in this group. Amendment 161, in the names of the noble Baronesses, Lady Walmsley and Lady Bennett, and the noble Lord, Lord Bethell, seeks to introduce automatic enrolment on to the Healthy Start scheme for parents with a child under four. Indeed, the Healthy Start scheme, which has been in place since 2006, is an important measure to ensure that low-income families can afford healthy, nutritional food for their children. As the scheme is a financial one, there were previously difficulties in changing it to an opt-out scheme rather than an opt-in one, as the noble Lord, Lord Storey, mentioned. Nevertheless, we look forward to hearing the Minister’s thoughts on the amendment.