Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children are being treated for poverty related illness in (a) Blyth and Ashington constituency and (b) the North East.

The data requested is not held by NHS England, as poverty is not a metric used for the classification of illness. Although poverty is not a direct cause of specific health conditions, it can be a risk factor for physical and mental ill health. The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children in history. This will include delivery of an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackle the root causes, and give every child the best start at life.