Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will establish an independent taskforce for lung health.

There are currently no plans to set up a taskforce on lung health. However, the Government’s Mandate to NHS England includes a requirement to achieve a significant reduction in avoidable deaths by 2020. Reducing premature mortality rates among patients with lung disease will play an important part in this. There are a range of initiatives being taken forward that will support reducing mortality rates amongst patients with lung disease.

NHS England advises that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently producing new guidelines on asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and the ongoing National Audit on COPD will be joined by one on asthma next year.