Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2018 to Question 130814, if he will take steps to provide guidance to NHS Trusts on responding to correspondence from hon. Members.

The Department has no plans to issue guidance to National Health Service trusts on responding to parliamentary business. We would expect NHS trusts to follow the Code of Conduct for NHS Managers which sets out their responsibility to answer to Parliament, Ministers and the Department. The Department’s view is clear, that Members of Parliament as representatives of their community should receive timely engagement.