Oral Answers to Questions

Alun Michael Excerpts

Tuesday 25th January 2011 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Anne Milton)]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue, and I know that her local council is running a number of schemes. As she knows, we have published a White Paper on public health, “Healthy Lives, Healthy People”. In the spring, we will publish a document on reducing obesity, and we will set out how this will be tackled in the new public health systems and in the NHS. It is important to remember that at this time of year a number of people go on diets and try to lose weight and get fit, and I urge them all to carry on, including Members of this House.

[Alun Michael (Cardiff South and Penarth) (Lab/Co-op)]

Does the Minister accept that during times of illness people often experience associated problems, for example, difficulties with employment and housing, and personal problems, with which they can be helped by the information available through StartHere? Will he ensure that his Department and others treat StartHere as essential to the provision of high-level public service?

[Mr Burns]

I am very grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for that question because, as he is aware from meetings that we have had, we have been supporting StartHere through NHS Choices. We are now reviewing the benefits of this joint working, and that will help us to understand potential contributions to savings to improve the information flow to those who may be excluded from the use of the internet. He may be interested to learn that I have today written to Ms Hamilton-Fairley, outlining where we are at the moment. I am anxious to resolve this as soon as possible, once the review has been completed.