Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Simon Burns and Virendra Sharma

Tuesday 17th July 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Virendra Sharma (Ealing, Southall) (Lab)]

13. What recent representations he has received on the reconfiguration of children's heart services.

[The Minister of State, Department of Health (Mr Simon Burns)]

I have received representations about the review of children’s heart services via letters, parliamentary questions and e-mails from hon. Members, via letters and e-mails from organisations and the public, and via meetings. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received two overview scrutiny committee referrals, one from the Yorkshire and Humber joint health and overview scrutiny committee and one from the royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

[Mr Sharma]

Is the Secretary of State confident that the committee has properly balanced the clinical decisions with the practical transport issues faced by families of children with heart problems?

[Mr Burns]

The assurance I can give the hon. Gentleman is that we certainly believe so, but these are matters for the joint committee of primary care trusts, which carried out this review. As he will appreciate, it is totally independent from the Department of Health, and rightly so.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Simon Burns and Virendra Sharma

Tuesday 27th March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Burns]

I am not quite sure which word in my last answer the right hon. Gentleman did not understand, so I will repeat it. Like previous Governments, we do not comment on leaked documents. Instead of coming to the Dispatch Box and talking down the fantastic work that nurses and doctors do day in and day out, why does he not read the quarter, the latest copy of which is full of facts about how the NHS is improving its performance and delivering better quality care for patients throughout England?

[Mr Virendra Sharma (Ealing, Southall) (Lab)]

3. What assessment he has made of progress in tackling tuberculosis in England.